Vengeance
by World.Has.No.Right.To.My.Heart
Summary: A young women named Emma Swan comes to the Hamptons and rents a beach house next door to the mansion of a wealthy family, the Mills'. Emma Swan is actually Emma Nolan, whose father was framed by the Mills' for treason when she was a little girl. She now returns to the Hamptons to get revenge on those who wronged her and her father. OUAT story inspired by the TV show Revenge.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

" _ **Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves." Confucius (504 B.C)**_

 _When I was a little girl, my understanding of revenge was as simple as the Sunday school proverbs it hid behind. Neat little morality slogans, like do unto others and two wrongs don't make a right. But two wrongs can never make a right, because two wrongs can never equal each other. For the truly wronged, real satisfaction can only be found in one of two places: absolute forgiveness or mortal vindication._

 **Labor Day Weekend**

 **South Hampton, NY**

I mess absentmindedly with the large swan ice sculpture in the middle of the tent. The irony is not lost on me.

"Emma!" I hear as a voice cries out my name. I turn around and I look down to see sand on my hand. I wipe it off before Tamara is standing in front of me.

"I've been looking for you. Where's Neal?" Tamara asks me.

"Uh, he's walking the beach. We're having a thing" I respond.

Tamara rolls her eyes at me and scoffs. "Same thing or different thing?" She questions, her eyebrows raised.

"Same thing. But don't worry, he's right behind me." I tell her, a forced smile playing on my lips.

"It's my job to worry. Your job is to enjoy yourself. It's your job to enjoy yourself. It's your engagement party. Can someone get a 20 on Neal Mills?" Tamara says in a walkie as she walks away.

I see August waving to me from a table on my right. A man walks by and wishes me congratulations and I thank him. I make eye contact with August again. I make my way over to him. I do not like the look on his face. I come to his table but look away as we talk.

"Nice night for it." August tells me sarcastically.

"Nice night for what, August?" I bite back.

"Celebrating" He responds with a smirk.

I shake my head at him. "You should be here, August." I say through my teeth finally making eye contact with him. He stands out in his fire red suit. But this is a fire and ice party so he blends in well with the theme.

"That makes two of us, Em." He tells me.

I hear a voice in the distance call out, "Emma, where have you been hiding?" Another voice shouts out, "Come on, let's see that ring, girl." I put my left hand up and smile to acknowledge both of their comments. At this point in the night, I can barely remember the guests at this party. I walk towards them and August gives me one last look before I break eye contact.

"Hi" I say to both of the guests. I make small talk with them. Smiling and laughing with their comments. I lie about how happy Neal and I are. I grab a flute of champagne to make the night more bearable.

I watch as Regina and Robert Mills take the small stage in the front of the tent. I am grateful that the group of women around me have turned their attention to the stage to hear Regina speak. I take another sip of champagne as Regina grabs the microphone preparing for what she has to say.

"Fire and ice. When we first sat down to discuss tonight's occasion, I was immediately taken with the idea of an evening inspired by primal bookends, fire and ice, beginnings and endings and the love between a man and a woman." Regina says with elegance, grace, and composure.

Regina stands on stage in her red strapless gown with the grace of a queen, well more like an evil queen. But her opening comments are met with a round of applause by the audience. I pull out my phone and try to call Neal again. I smile as I put the phone up to me ear. People are gazing at me as they clap. I watch as Robert scans the tent. The phone keeps ringing as Regina continues her speech as she walks down from the stage and toward me.

"Tonight not only marks the final weekend of a remarkable summer in the Hamptons, it is also the celebration of my son Daniel's engagement to the lovely and beguiling Ms. Emma Swan." Regina gestures towards me after this sentence and the audience applauds. I put down my phone and smile. Regina continues to walk towards me.

"And though we've only known her for a few short months, Emily already feels like the piece of the family puzzle we never even knew was missing. In a word, I approve. And as anyone can tell you, approval is not something I give away freely." Regina says with a smile as the crowd laughs at her comment.

Regina has finally reached me and she has reached out to take my hand. She takes a step towards me and whispers, "Where the hell is my son?"

I look back at her with a composed face. I do not know where the hell Neal is but it wasn't supposed to be like this. Screaming comes from the beach and we all turn our heads towards the sound. I can see Violet running up the path from the beach. I hear her screaming something about her brother. Once Regina and Robert here her mention her brother, they start making their way to the beach.

I turn around and share a look with August who just stares back at me with an "I told you so look". I follow Regina and Robert as they run towards the beach. I can hear Regina crying out her son's name.

I stop at the edge of the tent and I hear Regina's screams all done the beach. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

 **A/N.** If you cannot tell already this is a retelling of the show Revenge with Once Upon a Time Characters. Plot points will change as necessary.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

 **Five Month Earlier**

I just stepped foot into my childhood beach time for the first time in almost two decades. I have been waiting years for this moment and I cannot believe it is finally happening. It looks just like it did all those years ago. I take a deep breath and compose my face. I cannot show any emotion. I, Emma Swan, have never seen this house.

The realtor starts to tell me about the house, "I can't tell you what a rare opportunity you have here, Ms. Swan. The current owners live in the city, of course, but they've been loyal hamptonites for years. Perhaps if Mr. Scarlet had been a bit more loyal to his wife, they wouldn't be renting out this season."

I walk over to a near the large glass door and pick up a photograph of the couple who lives in this house, Mr. Will Scarlet and Mrs. Belle Scarlet. I stare at the "happy" couple in the photo. If they only knew what I knew.

The realtor continues to ramble on about the Hamptons gossip, "Word has it, he dumped her for a girl half his age." She laughs at her comment and adds with a smirk, "men."

I interrupt her before she can continue talking, "Do you mind if I walk around a bit?" I place the photo back on the table as I stare out the glass doors.

"That's what we're here for." The realtor responds.

I walk out through the glass doors and onto the porch. I stare out to the familiar beach and the familiar beach ramp. It all looks just like it did when I was a little girl. I see the double infinity symbol etched into the porch baluster. I run my fingers over it, feeling nostaglic. I remember the day my dad carved that symbol into the porch. I look out onto the beach and remember when we lived here when I was younger and this was our new summer house.

 _I run up the beach ramp towards our new summer home, a bucket full of sand in my hand. I run up and dump it onto the porch near where my father had the grill out. He was cooking our dinner for the night._

" _Dad?" I voice to my father._

" _Hey, kiddo. You having fun exploring?" My father responds. His bright blue eyes shining down at me full of love._

" _We're gonna spend the whole summer here?" I ask him with childlike disbelief, a smile spreading across my face. I couldn't believe that this is where we were going to summer. There was an endless beach to explore._

" _And every summer after that." My father says with a wide grin. "What do you think?" He asks me._

" _I think mom would've have loved it." I respond staring up at him._

 _My father kneels down so he is eye level with me. He places his hands on my shoulders and looks me right in the eyes. "Hey, you know how much I love you, Emma?" He asks me._

" _Infinity?" I respond with a smile._

" _Well infinity," he starts. He flattens the sand from the pile I dumped onto the porch. He draws on the sand two infinity signs intertwined "time infinity."_

The relator starts to talk and breaks me out of my reverie. "Ms. Swan?" The relator walks behind me as I walk around the porch.

"Now you have to imagine, its Memorial Day weekend, 75 and sunny, all those boys of summer wondering who the new girl is." She continues to talk as we walk; I stop as the Mills manor comes into view from the porch.

"And that's Mills manor. You won't find a better address than this." The relator tells me matter-of-factly.

"I'll take it." I tell her.

"Oh. Wonderful. I'll get the contract." The realtor responds shocked and then delighted that she made the sale.

I hear her walk away back towards the house. I continue to stare at the Mills manor. It is the perfect place to keep an eye on my new neighbors. It's time to get to work.

 **A few days later**

I am unpacking and fixing my "temporary" summer home. I am moving a box of books into the kitchen when I hear a knock on the glass doors leading to the porch. I left them only out of habit. It's what my father did the summer we lived here. I see Tamara arrive with a bottle of wine in her hand.

"Hello, hello" Tamara says as she walks through the door.

"Tamara, hey." I say as I move forward to hug her.

"Hey" Tamara responds as she moves sway from the hug.

"What do you think?" I ask her.

Tamara looks around the "new" beach house. "Are you kidding? Look at this place. I want your life."

"You love your life." I chastise her as I start to unpack the box I put on the island in the kitchen.

"Yeah, you're right. I just want your money." Tamara responds with a smirk.

"What's mine is yours." I tell her as I place another candle onto the island. "Should I get us some glasses?" I ask her.

"I wish. It's for Regina Mills." Tamara responds as I pick up the box.

"Who?" I ask her as I start to walk towards the living room.

"You are hopeless. Regina Mills…. reigning queen of the Hamptons. Not to mention, your new next door neighbor." Tamara follows me as she chastises me for not knowing who Regina Mills is. She takes the opportunity to eye up the beach house as she walks to follow me.

Oh, if she only knew how much I actually knew about Regina. It would make her head spin.

"Queen Regina?" I say as I put the box down in the living room.

"Mm. Believe me, she's earned the title. My boss has me handling the guest list for her Memorial Day party." Tamara says not thrilled about her new task.

"Mm" I say as I smile holding up a recent photo of Tamara and I that I plan on placing in the living room.

"If I screw this up, I might as well move back to Croydon." Tamara tells me dramatically, complete with over the top hand gestures.

"Well, how much are the tickets?" I inquire as I continue to unpack boxes. Little does she know that I already know the answer and I am just using her as an in to this exclusive party. It is the perfect place for the first meeting between the Mills family and Emma Swan.

"Ten thousand a pop." She says quietly.

I shrug, "count me in for one."

"Are you sure?" She asks her eyebrows raise in disbelief.

"It's for a good cause, right?" I shrug again making myself seem casual and non-challant about the whole thing. Emma Swan is a philanthropist so this is right up her alley.

"Yeah, my career. Thank you." Tamara tells me again being overly dramatic.

I continue to unpack the box in my living room as Tamara walks towards the glass doors.

"You want to get drunk on cheap margaritas later?" I call out to her.

"With or without you." Tamara responds with a smirk.

"Good luck with her majesty." I say with a smirk, knowing full well how Regina could be.

"Bye." Tamara calls over her shoulder as she walks out the door.

I continue to unpack. I pull two pills off of the table and move towards the door. I walk outside onto the porch to place them on the wooden two person couch I have on the porch. Conveniently, the couch faces the Mills manor.

I have a lot of planning and preparing to do before the Memorial Day party.

.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The next morning I woke up sore from moving boxes all day yesterday. I move to a bag on the floor that I haven't unpacked yet and pull out a black one piece swim suit. I walk to the bath room and change into the bathing suit. I look in the mirror and pull up my hair into a low ponytail. I grab the white robe that is hanging behind my bathroom door. I pull the robe on.

I walk down the stairs and out the patio doors towards the beach. I make it down to the beach front and stare out at the water. This place is making me nostalgic and I am not used to feeling that way. As I stare out at the water while standing on the water's edge, I think back to the summer my father and I spent here.

 _I am shouting as the cold water hits me. I laugh after the water recedes then shout again when the water hits my feet again. We are only at the water's edge but the water is still freezing as it splashes onto my feet. I jump up and down on the beach trying to avoid the cold water as it crashes around our feet._

" _Hey, you want to know a trick?" My father asks me._

" _Yeah." I reply._

" _You plant your feet in the sand and you stand still through the whole first wave." He tells me._

" _Okay." I respond not really believing him._

" _Then the next wave's gonna feel warmer." He tells me._

"' _Kay." I reply still not believing him._

" _And then the next one after that's gonna feel warmer still. Finally, you're barely gonna notice the cold at all. Are you ready?" My father asks me._

" _Yeah" I tell him._

" _Here it comes." He announces._

" _Okay."_

 _We stand out ground while gripping each other's hand. The next wave crashes against our feet. I shout and then laugh with happiness._

"You must come from a family of polar bears." A female voice says at me breaking me from my reverie. "The water is ice cold."

"Only at first. After, a while you can't feel anything." I respond. I look to see that it is Belle Scarlett talking to me as she walks down the beach holding her shoes. She's dressed in white linen pants and a yellow blouse.

"Sounds like my marriage. You must be the new renter." She says to me.

"Emma Swan." I tell her as I cross my arms. "Word gets around fast."

"Like lightning. I'm Belle Scarlett." Belle tells me. She places her right hand out and I shake it. "My husband and I own the house you're staying in."

"Oh." I respond faking being shocked. "Oh wow, it's so nice to meet you. I can't tell you how much I love it."

"Me, too. Some good memories were made there." She states.

"Well, hopefully I can make some of my own." I tell her with a fake smile.

"So long as we don't have to take it out of your damage deposit. Welcome to the Hamptons." She tells me trying to intimidate me. I just smile at her as she turns and begins to walk away.

Belle walks away as I take of my robe and run into the water for a swim. I swim for twenty minutes to clear my head. I walk out of the water and grab my robe on the beach. I walk back up the path towards my house for the summer and walk inside. I lock the glass doors behind me.

I walk upstairs and shed the wet robe. I hang it behind my bathroom door. I shed the wet one piece and toss it on the floor. I step into the shower and let the hot water wash over me. When I am done in the shower, I grab a towel and wrap myself in it. I hand the wet bathing suit in the shower. I walk into the bedroom and grab a white tee shirt, leggings, and a brown cardigan from the bag on the floor. I change quickly and comb my hair.

I walk downstairs. I grab my laptop from where I hid it and pull up one of the videos of my dad's trial. I watch as the camera pans to Belle as she takes the witness stand.

The reporter on the news video says, "Federal prosecutors wrapped up their case for treason against disgraced hedge fund executive David Nolan. Taking the stand was Nolan's secretary, Belle Scarlett, whose testimony supported the damning allegations made by Nolan's former boss, Robert Gold. Gold's testimony detailed the scheme Nolan used to channel money to the terrorists responsible for the downing of Flight 197. All 246 Americans onboard that flight were killed."

I remember the day my father was taken like it was yesterday.

" _What do you like better, dad, sea glass or starfish? Dad?" I ask my dad as I walk to where he is sitting on the couch._

" _Starfish, definitely." He responds._

" _Here you go." I hand him a starfish I had found on the beach earlier that day._

" _Thank you" My father responds and moves to answer the ringing phone. He turns to me and asks, "Hey, do you mind going and looking after Sammy for me?"_

" _Sure" I respond as I walk towards Sammy, our golden Labrador retriever, who is by the glass patio doors._

 _Sammy starts to bark for no reason. "What's the matter, Sammy?" I ask him._

" _Hey, everything okay?" I hear my father ask on the phone._

 _A group of people dressed all in black with guns and flashlights appear through the glass patio doors and grab our dog Sammy. I start to scream at the unknown person. "Daddy!"_

" _Whoa, whoa, what's going on?" My father says as he sits up and throne the phone on the couch._

" _Hands up so I can see them!" One of the people in black shouts._

" _What's going on? You're making a mistake, you're making a mistake!" My father shouts as one of them pins him to the ground._

" _Don't, don't Daddy! Don't know!" I shout as someone grabs me and lifts me off the ground. I continue to scream and struggle against the person._

" _Get your hands off of my daughter! Emma! Let her go! Emma!" My father continues to shout while pinned on the floor as they take me away._

That was the last time I saw my father. I focus back on the video I am watching on my laptop. Belle is about to start her testimony.

"David Nolan had everyone fooled, including me. I'm just glad I can help put that monster away." Belle Scarlett tells the reporter on the video.

I exit out of the video and begin to look through the photos I have taken and acquired of Belle Scarlett and Robert Gold's private affair. If only Regina knew what those two were up to. But she will find out in due time. Belle Scarlett was going to pay for her involvement in what happened to my father.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

I pull out my phone and call Tamara as I put on the façade of running errands in town. I am really looking for Belle Scarlett at the South Fork Inn. I am eating lunch at the restaurant inside the Inn, waiting patiently for Belle to walk into the Inn.

"Ems, please don't kill me." Tamara says when say answers the phone. She sounds stressed.

"Well, that depends, what am I not killing you for?" I ask her with a smirk.

"Standing you up this afternoon. I have a million-dollar art auction to deal with." Tamara responds.

I spot Belle Scarlet as she walks into the South Fork Inn. I snap a quick photo of Belle entering the Inn and then place my phone back at my ear.

"Oh, there's no pressure there. You want me to pick up your dress for you?" I ask her as I continue my conversation with Tamara.

"Oh, you're a lifesaver." She tells me.

"Oh, please, I'm sightseeing, you're working. I got you covered." I respond.

"Thank you" Tamara replies.

"Bye" I tell her as I hang up the phone.

I look at the photo I snapped of Belle Scarlett quickly. It's not the best photo but you can tell it's her so it will have to do. I look up to see Robert Mills walking through the lobby of the Inn typing away on his cellphone. I grin as Robert walks down the hall.

The waitress approaches me and asks, "More tea?"

"Please." I respond with a smile as I stare at Becky the waitress' nametag.

I know just how to reveal that the two of them are here together. I continue to finish my tea and I pay for the lunch I just had. I walk into the bathroom and crush the pills I have in my purse. They won't kill Robert Mills but in this quantity they will mimic the symptoms of cardiac arrest. I walk back out into the hall and through a doorway marked employees only.

I grab a spare uniform and the name tag I swiped from Becky when she was on her break. I slip into the employee bathroom and change into the uniform. I put my glasses onto my nose and pull my hair into a ponytail. This would have to do. I walk back to where room service is housed and listen until Belle or Robert order's room service. I overhear a waiter talking about the room Belle walked into. When he isn't looking as he was hitting on a female waiter, I poured the crushed drugs into the tomato soup and I stir them in.

I walk away and slip back into the bathroom. I change out of the uniform, take my hair down, and take off the glasses. I change back into the pink button up shirt and jeans I was in earlier. I fold the uniform and place Becky's name tag on top of it. On my way out of the employee section of the Inn, I place the uniform back on the cart I swiped it from and leave the same doorway I came out of. I exit the Inn without anyone noticing me and I walk across the street. Now it is just time for me to wait and see what happens.

\\*****/

I walk towards the South Fork Inn as a Robert Mills is rolled onto the street on a stretcher. Belle Scarlett is wildly asking the paramedics questions Robert's condition. I walk quickly over to Belle.

"Belle. Belle." I say as the paramedic's places the stretcher into the ambulance. I finally catch Belle's attention. "Emma Swan." I tell her. "My… my god. Is this our husband? Do you need a ride to the hospital?"

"No, I don't. I…" Belle responds frazzled.

I watch as Belle takes one last look Robert and the paramedics bustling equipment around him before walking away quickly. I smile as I watch Belle run away from the ambulance and Robert.

\\*****/

I walk out of the dress store where I am picking up Tamara's dress for her before I leave this part of town. I hear a dog barking in the distance that sounds a lot like Sammy. I take off my sunglasses to get a better look. I notice Killian and Sammy in the small park across from the dress shop.

"The whole point of fetch is to bring the stick back. Do I really gotta explain this again?" I hear Killian say to Sammy.

A small smile forms on my lips. It's been too long since I have seen either of them. I hear Sammy barking as he runs away from Killian and towards me.

I here Killian shout, "Come here."

I remember when Killian and I were children and we used to play with Sammy on the beach.

 _I see a young boy running down the beach. Sammy is running next to him. The boy is in a light blue shirt and khaki shorts. He has light blue eyes and shaggy brown hair that falls in his eyes as he runs._

" _Come here, Sammy, I found a stick for you." I tell Sammy as I pick up the stick and Sammy bites on it._

" _What's his name?" The boy asks me._

" _Sam" I tell him._

" _He sure likes sticks." The boy comments._

 _I throw a stick into the water for Sammy to fetch. "Fetch it, Sammy." I tell the puppy._

" _Nice throw." The boy tells me._

" _Thanks." I respond with a smile and a shrug.._

" _I'm Killian." The boy tells me._

" _I'm Emma." I respond._

I walk over to the small park where Killian and Sammy are. I step over the rope lining the park. I know I shouldn't being doing this right now. But I haven't seen Sammy since the night I was taken from my father and I missed him.

"Come on, Sammy, pick up the stick. Where're you going?" Killian asks Sammy as he wanders off and continues to walk towards me. "Get back here. What are you doing?"

Sammy is now sitting in front of me.

"What are you doing? Sammy!" Killian shouts.

Sammy stays sitting in front of me with his paw raised as if he was waiting for me to recognize him. I recognize you, Sammy. I just can't show it. I am not Emma Nolan anymore. I am Emma Swan and Emma Swan doesn't know Sammy and Killian. I sigh and I let myself slip for a moment because I miss the life I remember as a little girl.

"Sam?" I whisper the question so Killian can't hear me.

Sammy jumps into me and I laugh as I hug and pet Sammy. Killian is now running towards us.

"Sammy, Sammy! Get down! What's the matter with you?" Killian asks Sammy as he kneels next to him and begins to pet Sammy with me. "I am so sorry, he's not normally this friendly. He's kind of an old grump, actually." Killian says me. He looks into my eyes and I get lost in them.

Killian has grown up so much since we were kids. He is a man now and he is handsome. I had a crush on him when we were children and I feel those feelings reappearing as I see him now kneeling a few feet in front of me. But I can't let myself feel for him. It's not why I came back to the Hamptons and he would just ruin everything.

"Mmhm." I manage to respond as I continue to stare at him.

"Uh, he got mud on your dress." Killian tells me.

"Oh, that's not big deal." I tell him as I look down and try to wipe the mud off of the plastic covering the dress.

"There's an Earl and Emma's dry cleaners right around the corner. I'll walk you over." Killian states as he points behind me in the direction of the dry cleaners.

"Oh, that's okay. Um, I got it. Thanks." I say as I get up and begin to walk toward my car. This was a stupid idea. I shouldn't have walked over to where Killian and Sammy were. I should have gotten in my car and driven away without looking back.

"Well, hey. Uh, tell Earl and Emma that you're a friend of Jack Porter's. My family owns the tavern down by the docks, the Stowaway. What's... what's your name? I'll... put you on the official comp list." Killian asks me a small smile forming on his lips.

"You don't have to do that." I tell him shaking my head.

"Well, I'm not picking up the tab. Sammy is. He feels terrible, don't you?" Killian says as he rubs up and down Sammy's sides.

"Thanks anyway." I say as I walk away from them and towards my car.

"All righty, then. You have a great summer." I hear Killian say behind me. I can feel him staring as he watches me drive away.

What was I thinking? I shouldn't have done that.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

Emma stands on the dock outside of the Mills Memorial Day party. Emma decided to wear a white dress for the occasion that resembles a Roman toga. Her blonde hair fell in gentle waves down her back.

"Emma!" Tamara calls out to Emma.

"Hey." Emma responds while reaching towards Tamara.

Tamara is in a bright pink gown with cap sleeves and her hair down framing her face in large curls.

"You look amazing." Tamara tells Emma as she grasps her hands.

"I look amazing?" Emma asks. "Look at you. Look as this party! Congratulations." Emma tells Tamara while looking around and gesturing to the party around them.

"Well, it's too early for that. Haven't you seen Titanic?" Tamara asks Emma being her usual overly dramatic self. Tamara begins to pull Emma through the crowd of people on the dock.

"So how well do you know these people?" Emma asks Tamara gesturing towards the people on the dock and on the boat.

"Well enough to know who to keep away from and who to snuggle up to." Tamara responds with a raise of her eyebrow.

"Mm. Quick tutorial?" Emma asks Tamara intrigued by any insight Tamara could provide that Emma did not already know.

"Okay. The girl in the orange Escada dress?" Tamara starts her tutorial as she gestures towards a girl in an orange dress on the boat.

"Mm-hmm." Emma replies.

"That's Mayor Bloomberg's niece. And the women she's talking to, now this one is important… Megan Foster, shoe buyer for Barneys of New York" Tamara tells Emma as they continue to walk down the dock.

"Ohh…" Emma replies to Tamara. Emma's eyes come across a dark haired man in a gray suit. "Gray suit boy is kind of cute." Emma knew fully well who he was but she was interested to see what Tamara would tell her about him.

"That's Neal Mills, Regina's tragically privileged spawn. Neal wrapped his convertible around a tree last summer after one too many" Tamara tells Emma as they continue they journey down the dock. Emma continues to watch Neal as she continues her conversation with Tamara.

"Didn't hurt his face much." Emma replies with sass.

"Yeah, it didn't work out quite well for the waitress he was shagging. His parents paid off everyone and their mother to keep him out of jail." Tamara informs her.

Tamara leads Emma onto the boat to continue the who's who tour of the Hamptons. Tamara walks around the deck and points out a few different socialites Emma just has to know and has to meet. None of these people interest her so she just smiles and nods as Tamara continues talking.

As they round the deck to the side of the boat facing the water Tamara states, "And the plot thickens…"

"Who's that?" Emma asks. She overhears the man talking to a random woman in an orange dress he asks her "You ever been on a private jet? I've got two." Emma knows full well that this was August Booth and she knew his pick-up attempts were futile but she was curious to see what Tamara had to say about him. August was a unique individual who had the tendency to rub people the wrong way.

"August Booth," Tamara starts. "Former tech boom whiz kid and perennial pain in the ass. If you emptied the bank accounts of everyone at this party, it wouldn't add up to the interest his makes in a week."

Emma overhears August with his camera phone speaking to someone in the room he just ducked into. "There he is, old blue eyes," August states.

"August!" She hears the man reply. By now, Tamara and Emma have reached a part of the deck where they can now see into the room August ducked into.

"And that is Queen Regina." Tamara says as a woman in a pale pink dress with long dark brunette curls cascading down her shoulders comes into view.

Emma watches as Regina interacts with her husband and August. Regina has not aged a day since Emma last saw her. Regina still holds herself with the same regality she did when Emma was a little girl.

"Hello, August" Regina says to August with a smile.

"Hello, Regina" August replies curtly.

"How are you?" Regina asks August.

Tamara leads the way down the dock paralleling the room that Regina, Robert, and August are in. Emma stares into the room as they walk by. Emma watches as Regina works the room. Regina hugs one person then moves to the next to kiss their cheeks. Through the window, Regina's and Emma's eyes meet for a moment.

"I think she spotted you." Tamara whispers in Emma's ear as they continue to walk down the boat deck.

"Good. Introduce us." Emma responds with a smile.

Tamara leads the way as they walk into the room where Regina is. Tamara walks over to Regina as she is having a heated conversation with Belle Scarlett.

"Mrs. Mills, forgive me for interrupting I just wanted to introduce you to a dear friend of mine. Regina Mills, Emma Swan" Tamara says.

Belle turns back around and continues her conversation with another part guest.

"Hello, Mrs. Mills." Emma expresses with a polite smile.

"Ah, Ms. Swan. I was wondering who the late add to the roster was." Regina responds tersely and with a forced smile.

"Well, Emma's new to the Hamptons, but she really wanted to take part in your fundraiser." Tamara informs Regina with one of her bright and sincere smiles.

"Oh. How well do you to know each other?" Regina asks directing the question towards Emma.

"We volunteered at the Met this winter. Mhm, apparently being a sustaining patron just wasn't enough for Emma." Tamara replies to Regina's question first.

"Mm, I try to give back as much as I can." Emma tells Regina. Emma turns her head and notices Belle is still only a few feet away. This is her chance.

"Belle, hi." Emma calls out towards Belle. Belle turns around and forces a smile onto her face when she realizes it is Emma who called out her name and that Emma is talking to Regina.

"Oh, don't tell me you've taken up volunteering at the Met as well." Regina declares in an annoyed tone.

"Emma is renting my house for the summer." Belle responds after scoffing at Regina's comment.

"Ah." Regina says in acknowledgment.

"We met briefly on the beach" Belle tells Regina looking Emma straight in the eye. Belle is hoping that Emma won't anything about Robert and Belle. This is her chance to poke the beast and she is going to take it.

"And the yesterday at the South Fork Inn. I hope your husband's feeling better." Emma adds with fake sincerity.

Emma watches as Belle gives her a death glare for her comment. Emma can see Regina's face in the corner of her eye as the realization dawns at her. Belle avoids looking at Regina and Regina smiles at Tamara and Emma before walking away.

Belle looks so defeated as Regina walks away from them. The look on Regina's face as she realized Belle was with her husband yesterday at the South Fork Inn was priceless. Emma wanted to smile at how well her plan was working but she controlled her emotions and didn't let anything show on her face.

"Regina, wait." Belle calls out as she walks away towards where Regina walked off.

Regina turns around and smiles at Belle. Regina says nothing and walks away. Belle turns around and smiles as if nothing happened. Belle nervously takes a sip of her champagne.

This is just the beginning, Emma thinks to herself. Belle and the rest of them have hell to pay and they won't even know what hit them. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

Tamara accused herself not long after the awkward exchange between Regina and Belle. Emma was left alone to her own devices. She walked around the first deck of the boat but she didn't see who she was looking for. Emma went up to the bar and ordered a vodka and cranberry. That drink is red and dark enough for what she had planned. After a few moments, the bar tender placed the drink in front of Emma; she smiled and thanked him for the drink.

Emma wanders up to the second deck of the boat and she can spot the back of Neal's head at the bow of the ship. Emma smiles to herself as she makes her way over to where Neal is standing and speaking to a man with brown hair and a boyish face in a tan colored suit.

"Yo, man. Want to bump it up a notch?" Emma over hears the man says to Daniel offering him something that looks like drugs.

Emma uses this as her moment; she trips and spills her drink all over the front of Neal's coat. "Oh, my God!" Emma exclaims.

"Aw." Neal says as he turns around to face Emma.

"I am sorry. God, I'm such an idiot." Emma tells him with a shy smile.

"No, don't worry about it. It's uh, probably the universe telling me I need a costume change." Neal responds was he takes off his now stained jacket.

Emma smiles and laughs at his comment.

"Uh…. I'm Neal." Neal says introducing himself to Emma. Neal extends his hand.

"Emma." Emma responds as she returns his handshake.

"How about I get you a dry martini? Twice the alcohol, half the stain potential." Neal offers with a smile.

"Sure. I'm sorry." Emma replies will shaking her head.

"No, no. It's okay. Now wait right here." Neal tells her while putting up his hand.

Neal walks away from Emma but makes sure to put his hand on the small of her back before walking away. Emma is in. Neal likes her. This is perfect and going all according to plan.

Emma is still waiting for Neal when Regina takes the stage on the dock across the boat. Regina had some sort of platform built so the stage is level with the upper deck of the boat. Emma watches as Regina looks out over her self-proclaimed subjects.

"Good afternoon, everyone, and happy Memorial Day." Regina starts off and everyone claps. Emma follows suit with an unhappy smile plastered on her face.

"I wanted the theme of today's party to signify a fresh start for all of us. As difficult as the last few years have been, they have been devastating on our charities. But now, as things are beginning to turn around, I'm looking forward to giving back, and I know that all of you are, too." Regina pauses here and the people on the boat begin to clap again. Emma follows suit yet again with the same unhappy smile on her face.

"So to start things off right, I'd like to announce the winner of the art auction, my dear friend... Belle Scarlett..." Regina says this as she extends her hand in the direction of where Belle is sitting on the boat.

"Oh! Congratulations!" Emma hears someone in the crowd say as the people around Belle begin to clap.

"Who won't be going home with the Monet this event, but with the treasured Van Gogh that hangs in the living room." Regina tells everyone.

Belle looks down at her hands awkwardly as the people on the boat all look at her.

Emma hears one of the socialites ask Robert, "But I though the Van Gogh was a gift from Belle and Will?"

Regina turns and says something to one of the security guards behind her. Regina is too far away for Emma to make out what she says. Emma notices the guard speak into his walkie talkie. After a few moments of talking, Regina turns to a guard behind her and says "Have Mrs. Scarlett escorted off of the boat."

Regina turns back to the crowd, "And in related news, Belle has asked me to announce that the beach house she shared with her husband is officially on the market." Regina announces.

A security guard is on the upper deck of the boat now and has reached Belle who is sitting about ten feet away from where Emma is standing which allows her to hear the conversation between them.

"Mrs. Scarlett…" The guard whispers as he helps Belle out of her seat and escorts her as she walks away.

Emma turns her focus back onto Regina.

"I'm afraid this will be her final weekend in the Hamptons. So call your realtors, ladies and gentlemen, because this one's going to go fast. And, Belle..." Regina calls out.

Emma watches as Belle pauses a while and looks up at Regina. "Wherever you end up, I hope that the Van Gogh is a constant reminder of the friendship we shared." Regina tells Belle with a cold and sinister smile.

Emma looks back at Regina who is now looking at her. Emma has not seen that look on Victoria since she was a child.

" _Get your hands off of my daughter!" Emma hears her father cry out as someone grabs her and pulls her out of the house._

 _Emma screams and thrashes around in the arms that are holding her._

 _Emma hears someone says "I want that kid outta here. Now! Give her to social services!" Emma watches as Regina and Robert are on the porch of the beach house with the people storming her house._

" _Daddy!" Emma cries out._

" _Emma!" She hears her father call out._

" _Settle down!" Emma hears the person holding her tell her._

 _Emma looks back toward Regina and screams._

" _Where are you taking her?" Emma hears her father shout._

" _No Daddy!" Emma shouts as they take her down the stairs of the porch._

" _Amanda! No!" She hears her father shout out._

 _Emma continues to scream as they take her farther from the house. She watches as Regina and Robert stand on the porch watching as Emma and her father are torn apart._

"She sure is something, isn't she?" Emma hears Neal ask her which breaks her from her reverie. "My mother." He adds when Emma doesn't respond right away.

Neal hands Emma the martini which she takes with a smile.

"She sure is." Emma replies.

Neal raises his glass. "To chance meetings."

"To an unforgettable summer." Emma says while raising her glass toasting with Neal. Emma takes a sip of her martini and smiles at Neal.

If Neal only knew the half of it…. 

**A/N. One more chapter (hopefully) until we reach the end of the pilot episode. What do you guys think? Should I continue the story?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Later that night, the waiters and waitresses are cleaning up the ship and there are only a few people left on the ship. Emma is sitting comfortably with Neal at a table near the bow of the ship on the second deck.

"How many Harvard men does it take to screw in a light bulb?" Neal asks Emma.

"I don't know. How many?" Emma asks Neal.

"One, and the whole world just revolves around him." Neal answers.

Emma allows herself to laugh at his bad joke. He was kind of cute and if she had to be with someone in the long run for her plan to work, it's nice that he isn't bad on the eyes.

Neal laughs as well before asking, "One more?"

"Drink or joke?" Emma inquires with a light smile.

"Either. Both." Neal replies.

"Mm, neither. I am just buzzed enough to find that last joke funny. One more, and I might think that you meant it. But don't let me stop you." Emma says with a smile.

The buzzed part was a lie. Emma could hold her alcohol and three martinis would hardly make her buzzed but Neal didn't need to know that.

"Oh, no, no. I've had about all the club soda I can take." Neal responds.

"You don't drink?" Emma asks.

"Used to… Epically." Neal responds.

"Hmm." Emma responds.

"I gotta admit, it's…. it's nice meeting someone who never knew the old me." Neal confesses to Emma.

"Yeah. I know the feeling." Emma agrees.

Neal stares at Emma intently before looking down at her wrist which is resting on the top of her thighs. Neal notices the tattoo on her wrist. "Double infinity."

Emma looks down at her wrist quickly and back up at Neal. "Something like that." Emma comments.

"That's a long time." Daniel answers making small talk with her.

"Neal… Your father and I are leaving." Regina tells Neal.

Emma turns around to face Regina and stands up before speaking to her.

"Thank you for a lovely party, Mrs. Mills. It was great meeting both of you." Emma tells Regina as she walks over to stand in front of Regina and Robert.

"Well, now that you've moved next door, I suppose we'll be seeing a lot of you this summer." Regina tells Emma as Robert has his hand around his wife's shoulder. They look especially close considering what happened. Regina stares at Emma for a few moments before turning to look at Neal who is still sitting down at the table.

"I'll expect you shortly, Neal." Regina says before she turns around and leave with Robert.

"Don't let my mother rattle you. Intimidation is practically a sign of endearment with her." Neal tells Emma as he stands up from the table and walks to stand next to her. He places his hands in his pockets as they both watch Regina and Robert walk away.

"I'd hate to be on her bad side." Emma retorts while shaking her head.

"Yes, you would." Neal tells Emma.

They both laugh. Emma begins to walk away from Neal as she announces, "I should go."

"Uh, I'm headed you way. You need a ride?" Neal offers as he walks towards her.

"No, thanks. Maybe next time." Emma says.

"'Til next time." Daniel replies.

\\*****/

Emma takes off her heels as she gets out of the car. Her feet are killing her after the long day she had. She walks up the steps on her porch and through the patio door into the beach house. She turns on the light as she walks through the door and places her shoes, purse, and wrap on a chair in the living room. She walks towards the kitchen and stops. Something is off and she cannot quite place it.

Emma turns around to watch August Booth walk through the patio door she left open.

"Welcome home, Emma. I nearly didn't recognize you today, but that's the whole point isn't it?" August says as he walks towards her.

Emma grabs his shoulder, knees him in the groin, and pins him against a post. Her right forearm is under his windpipe.

"Do you know how easy it would be for me to crush your windpipe?" Emma asks him.

"I don't think you father would approve." August tells her struggling to get out each word.

Emma moves her arm up pushing harder against August's windpipe.

"Emma! Your father trusted me!" August says in a pained voice.

"My father trusted everyone." Emma says as she releases August. She pushes him off of the post and into the living room. "What are you doing here, August?" Emma asks him.

"Don't worry, don't worry, your secret's safe. No one wants this imperious cadre of toxic phonies to eat it more than yours truly. So how can I be of service?" August asks her with his hands held up as a sign of peace.

"You can't. You're not a part of this." Emma responds.

"Yes, I am. Remember, I witnessed firsthand what these people did to your father. They're hard-core." August tells Emma.

"I can handle them. And I have no problem taking you down, too, if you get in my way." Emma asserts staring at August.

"I, I don't want to get in your way. I want to help you." August says with sincerity.

"You can't help me, August." Emma responds in a whisper.

"Suit yourself, but I can be just as powerful an enemy as any one of them. Just sayin'." August tells her as he begins to turn and walk out the door. He turns back around for a moment when he reaches the doorway. "Oh, you might be interested to know, I had a nice chat with Killian Jones tonight. Guess who is still carrying a torch for little Emma Swan." August tells her trying to push her buttons.

"Emma Swan no longer exists." Emma responds.

August just smiles at her and walks out the door. Emma thinks back to the first time she ever met August. She had just turned eighteen and was released from a juvenile detention center.

" _Swan, Happy birthday. You've been emancipated." A guard tells Emma as she leaves._

 _Emma only has a few things to carry with her as she leaves. She can feel her former fellow inmates watch as she walks out into her freedom. Outside of the gate, a car is waiting for her._

 _A man with dark brown hair, light eyes, and a scruffy beard gets out of the car holding a box in is hand._

" _Emma Swan?" The man asks._

" _Who are you?" Emma asks._

" _August Booth. Friend of your father's. You're not exactly the little angel he described to me." He comments while leaning against the hood of the car._

" _My father hasn't seen me in ten years." Emma retorts._

" _I'm sorry to be the one to tell you. He passed away… six weeks ago." August tells her. He gestures towards the box in his hands that bears the double infinity symbol. "He wanted you to have something."_

" _Whatever that is, I don't want it." Emma replies walking away from August and the car._

" _Oh, no, no, no, trust me. You definitely do." August tells Emma while stepping in front of her blocking her path._

" _My father was a murder and a liar. So why should I trust you, huh?" Emma questions him._

"' _Cause that's just what they want you to believe. Forget everything that you think you know, Emma. Your dad was protecting you." Augusts tells her._

" _From what?" Emma asks._

" _Open the box. Find out." August tells her._

 _Emma takes the box from August's hands and opens it. Inside she sees a letter and a photo of her and her father from the summer they spent at the beach house._

" _You father was the first person to believe in me. He invested in my company when no one else would. That key, it opens a lock box in Zurich. Now that you're 18, you're officially 49% owner of my company. Board meeting are every other Wednesday, but… you don't have to show up. I never do." August continues._

 _Emma takes out a letter from the top of the pile of things in the box. It is addressed to her in her father's handwriting. Emma walks away from August as she opens the letter and begins to read it._

" _My dear Amanda... If you're reading this, then two things have come to pass, I am finally able to provide you the life you were unjustly denied. And sadly, I won't be able to share that life with you. I hope these journals provide answers to the questions you've had all these years. I am not the man they say I am and I did not do the things they say I did. All I ask is that you promise to do the one thing that's been so hard for me to do... Forgive."_

But that was a promise Emma couldn't keep. When deception cuts this deep, someone has to pay. Her father's chance to bring justice to the truly guilty was stolen from him. His only option was to forgive. Emma has others.

Emma had long changed out of her dress and changed into leggings and black sweater. Emma is sitting on the floor of the living room reading one of her father's journals from the infinity box. Emma pulls out a photo from a secret compartment of the box. The photo was taken at the Mills Global company retreat in 1992. She grabs a red marker and draws an X through Belle Scarlett's face, marking her as a mission accomplished.

Emma thinks back to what she orchestrated at the South Fork Inn and a smile spreads across her face.They say vengeance is a dish best served cold, but sometimes it's as warm as a bowl of soup. Emma's father died an innocent man, betrayed by the women he loved.

Emma walks out onto the beach ramp holding her father's watch that she keeps in the infinity box. Emma knew the watch was a gift from Victoria because inscribed on the back are the words "David, 'Until Forever', Regina." Emma looks back behind her to see Regina staring at her from the balcony of her bedroom.

When everything she loved has been stolen from her, all she had left is revenge. Like she said... This is not a story about forgiveness.

 **A/N. Pilot episode is done. Right now I only included Emma's perspective. Should I include the other character perspectives as I continue to write this story? Please let me know what you think!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Trust part I**

 _When Emma was a child, her father was framed for a crime he didn't commit. Before he died, he left her a road map for revenge that led her to the people who destroyed their lives. Sometimes, the innocent get hurt. But one by one, the guilty will pay. Nothing ever goes exactly as one expect, and mistakes are life and death; collateral damage is inescapable._

 **Twelve Weeks Earlier**

Emma Swan, clad in a teal blue dress with spaghetti straps, is at a polo match watching Neal Mills play polo. In the distance, she can see Regina Mills and Robert Mills cheering their son on as he plays polo, she can also see Violet Mills watch her older brother playing polo. Neal is clad in a yellow and blue polo shirt as he rides his brown horse across the polo field.

Emma takes off her sunglasses in order to see Neal better and to keep up the façade that she had a crush on him. Emma fakes disappointment when Neal misses a shot.

"Emma. What are you doing over here? This area is strictly for the commoners." Tamara calls out to Emma.

Emma turns to see her friend walking over to her clad in a light orange dress.

"I like the view." She replies with a smile.

"Mm. So I see. Don't think I didn't spot you flirting with Neal Mills at the yacht party last week." Tamara chastises Emma with a small smile.

"What can I say? He's charming." She responds.

"He's dangerous. Come on. Now I assume you've been studying the Hamptons group on my Facebook page." Tamara says as she leads Emma out of the area for commoners.

"Why, is there gonna be a test?" Emma asks rhetorically.

"Every day. Welcome to the V.I.P tent" Tamara says while she grabs a glass of wine for Emma. "For you. So tell me, who is here?" Tamara questions Emma.

Tamara looks into the tent, scanning the crowd. Emma follows suit. Emma sees a lot of people most of which she knows from her own personal research but she wasn't going to let Tamara know that.

"Uhh." Emma stutters.

"Oh, come on, no one? Mm. You must remember him" Tamara states while she points at August Booth. "August Booth from the Memorial Day Party."

August true to his style is wearing a button up shirt over a bright yellow polo both with the collars popped. He tops the outfit off with a sand colored blazer. She is not sure when August became so eccentric.

"Perennial pain in the ass?" Emma retorts as she follows Tamara further into the tent.

Tamara laughs at her response. "Gold star. And that charmer chatting him up is Owen Flynn, head of Wall Street's most profitable hedge fund. You'd have to have Nolan's kind of money for him to even look at you. Ah, and of course, situated comfortably in the royalty section, we have Robert Mills and…" Tamara explains.

"Her majesty." Emma replies.

Emma looks over at Regina who is in a magenta colored dress talking to someone Emma did not know or cared to know. She is focused on the white suit clad Owen Flynn who is currently talking to August Booth. She needed to make her way over there so she could meet him.

"Class dismissed. I need to do a little networking, you'll be okay right?" Tamara asks Emma.

"Yeah, of course, yeah. Go." Emma tells Tamara.

Tamara walks away and Emma looks at August and Owen. Owen is fidgeting with dice in his hand, a habit Emma remembered well. Owen is a man she remembers very well.

 _Emma runs out the patio door towards Owen. He is at the patio door clad in jeans and a yellow long sleeved button down shirt. The sleeve are rolled up exposing his wrists._

" _Uncle Owen! Uncle Owen!" Emma shouts._

" _Hello, birthday girl." Owen responds bending down to speak directly to Emma._

" _Dad, Uncle Owen's here!" Emma shouts towards her father._

 _Her father appears from down the porch carrying a golden lab puppy in his hands. The puppy has a red bow stuck to the back of its neck. "Look what I have here. Happy birthday"_

" _Oh! What's his name?" Emma asks her father excited. Her father reaches down and hands Emma the puppy. Emma excitingly grabs the puppy from his arms._

" _Uh, that is up to you. What's he look like?" Her father responds._

" _Like a Sammy." Emma says answering her father's question._

" _Sammy. Okay. Well, then Sammy it is." Her father says._

" _Thanks, Daddy." Emma says._

" _David, I gotta talk to you." Emma hears Uncle Owen tell her father. Owen pulls her father away walking with him further down the porch._

" _Yeah, what is it?" Emma hears her father ask him._

" _It's about Mills." Emma hears Uncle Owen respond._

That is one of the last good memories she had of the man she once called Uncle Owen. Emma watches as Owen moves on from talking to August to talking to Robert, Regina, and Violet Mills. Emma just watches them buying her time.

\\*****/

At the Stowaway, a local bar in Montague, Henry Jones takes his break. Henry is sitting at the bar and he pulls out his phone and texts Violet Mills "whadup pretty lady?"

Killian calls out to his little brother while walking behind him carrying two plates from the kitchen, "Henry. Little help, please. The tables aren't gonna bus themselves."

"I'm on break." Henry responds.

"Yeah, break's over. Let's keep the tables running." Their father Brennan Jones responds to Henry's comment while taking his phone out of his hand.

"You should have thought of that before you fired half of the staff last week." Henry retorts.

"Don't be a smart-ass." Killian tells Henry as he walks back behind the bar.

The phone of the Stowaway rings and Brennan moves to answer it. "Stowaway. Brennan speaking. Yeah, I got the notice. No, don't bother. I know what I gotta do."

Henry looks back down at his phone to see that Violet responded. She texted back " polo match… bored!"

"Close up after lunch and take inventory on everything we got." Brennan states as he climb up the stairs in the back of the bar to the Jones' apartment upstairs.

"What's going on, Dad? Dad?" Killian shouts at his father.

What's his problem?" Henry asks gesturing toward their father.

"We're closing up early." Killian states while looking up at the stairs.

"Oh, sweet." Henry responds.

"No, Henry. Not sweet." Killian responds with a heavy sigh.

"Yo. That mean I could borrow the boat?" Henry call out at his brother. He does not wait for a response and assumes it's a yes. Henry pulls out his phone to text Violet "boat ride ltr?"

\\*****/

Violet Mills is sitting at the polo match with her parents cheering on her brother as he plays in the match. She pulls out her phone and sees she has a new text from Henry.

"Whose boat, Violet?" Adam Connor, Violet's on and off again boyfriend, asks from behind her.

"A friends." Violet responds.

"I thought we had all the same friends." Adam states.

"Yeah, well, I'm sick of the same. I want different." Violet tells him.

"I can do different. Love different." Adam responds.

Violet rolls her eyes at Adam, gets out of her chair, and walks away. 

**A.N.** This is twelve weeks before the event that occur in chapter 1 and shortly after the events in chapter 7 to clear up any confusion. Also sorry for the abrupt end, I wanted to update but I only had a limited time to write this chapter. Hope you like it!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Come on, Neal. Stay on him." Robert Mills shouts at his son who is playing polo on the field.

"Go Neal!" Regina shouts after her son.

Robert and Regina watch intensely as their son rides across the polo field.

"That's it, Neal!" Regina shouts.

Neal rides his horse up close to the small white plastic ball and aims his wooden mallet but a player on the opposing team hits the ball before Neal is able to. Regina and Robert look defeated as their son rides back down the field.

"Another goal for Harris" An announcer states overhead.

"Your boy is not looking too good out there today, Mills." Owen calls out from behind them. Owen moves to sit down next to Robert.

"Mm. It's not even halftime. There's still plenty of game left." Robert responds to Owen's comment turning to look him in the eyes before returning his attention to the field.

"Care to back that with a wager?" Owen asks him with a smirk.

Robert turns to look Owen in the eyes again and tells him, "I stopped playing games with you when I fired you 18 years ago."

Owen laughs at his comment and responds, "I'd say that particular game worked out pretty well for both of us. But if you don't want to throw any more money away on that son of yours, I can understand."

"The only thing you seem to understand, Mr. Flynn, is how to ruin a perfectly good afternoon." Regina chimes in.

"Just having a little fun, Regina. Tell you what, I'll even the playing field. Put your money where your mouth is on Neal, and I'll take back the 5 points you're already down." Owen offers.

"I'll take that bet." Emma says as she walks up behind Regina holding a flute of champagne. "Hello again, Mr. and Mrs. Mills."

Regina, Robert, and Owen all stand up from their seats and turn to face Emma.

"Ah, Miss Swan, what a pleasant surprise. You remember Emma?" Regina directs the question at her husband.

"Yeah, of course. The girl next door." Robert responds with a smile.

"Oh, not for much longer, I'm afraid. I understand that Belle and Will's house is in multiple offers." Regina remarks.

"Actually, one of those offers is mine." Emma returns Regina's remarks with a smile.

"Oh." Regina says with a forced smile.

"Well, we're gonna keep our fingers crossed for you." Robert tells her.

"Thanks, but I went in strong. My realtor is expecting good news." Emma tells them.

"Gotta like a girl who goes after what she wants. Owen Flynn." Owen comments while extending his hand.

"Emma Swan." Emma reaches out and shakes it.

"You watch your money around this one, young lady. He'll take you for every penny if he can." Robert says while gesturing at Robert.

"Well, I know a good bet when I see one." Emma says with a smile.

An air horn goes off around them.

"And the first half comes to a close. We welcome everyone out onto the field for the traditional stomping of the divots." The announcer says through the speakers above them.

Emma looks down at Robert when she hears his phone ringing. She can see over his shoulder that it is Belle Scarlett calling him. She also notices that Regina can see who is calling Robert as well. Robert hangs up the phone and put it back into his coat pocket.

"I think I'm in the mood to stomp a few divots." Regina announces while walking towards the field.

Robert offers a grim smile to Owen and walks away following his wife onto the field.

\\*****/

Tamara is walking through one of the tents sent up next to the field when August turns around and stops her by placing his arm on the side of the bar counter in front of her path.

"What's your hurry party planner?" August asks Tamara.

"August, there must be a hundred women here who would like to play your little games. I, however, am not one of them. Excuse me." She tells him.

August lifts his arm up and allows her to pass by him. His phones rings and he grabs it from inside of his jacket pocket.

"Hello." He says as he answers the phone.

"Hey, it's Killian. Listen I thought we had a deal on my boat. Other buyers are starting to line up." August listens as Killian tells him this on the phone.

"Ah, the art of the deal." August responds before taking a deep breath. "Tell you what, I'll have my business manager wire whatever you are asking into your little bank and we can do the title transfer and whatever blah blah blah whenever it's convenient?" August asks him on the phone.

"It's convenient today." Killian tells him sternly on the line.

"Aye, aye, Captain. See you soon." August tells Killian before hanging up his phone.

From across the tent, Emma spots August at the bar and waves at him. August waves back at her before walking away.

\\*****/

"You know August Booth?" Owen asks Emma.

"Yes, we've been close for a long time." She responds.

Owen takes a few steps closer to her.

"A bit of an odd bird that one. I didn't guess he had any real friends at all especially none as pretty as you." He tells her with a smile.

"August knows that when people see him they see dollar signs so he's built up a few defense mechanisms. It's hard to know who to trust when it comes to money." Emma tells him.

"Couldn't agree more." He replies. "So who do you trust?" He asks her.

Owen is falling right into Emma's trap and she could not be happier. She didn't think it would be this easy to reel him in.

"With my money? Myself, since 2008. It's been sitting in cash and short term bonds waiting for when that second shoe is going to drop." She tells him.

"My fund actually made money in 2008." He expresses to her.

"Really?" She asks with fake shock. She knows all about his business practices and how far he would go to make a pretty penny. "Well what do you have a crystal ball?"

"And a magic hat." He responds.

Emma forces herself to laugh at his comment.

"Piece of free advice, the other shoe is not going to drop any time soon. You should consider getting back into the market." He states.

"I never said I wasn't considering." She replies baiting him complete with a smirk and an eyebrow raise.

"Well then, you and I have a lot to discuss." Owen tells her while reaching into his coat pocket to grab his business card. He hands her the card while he says, "Call my office. We will have lunch when you are ready. Loser pays."

"Always." She tells Owen.

Owen walks onto the field as Emma stands and watches him. Emma can hear the voice of the news announcing talking about Owen Flynn at her father's trial.

" _Another shocking turn in the David Nolan treason trial came today as financial advisor Owen Flynn took the stand with searing testimony against his long-time friend and colleague David Nolan. Flynn is just one in a long line of Mills Global employees to detail Nolan's involvement in the deadly terrorist attack."_

\\*****/

Neal is taking the saddle off of his horse after the first half of the polo match and his horse is acting strange. She keeps moving her head wildly and kicking her front hooves.

"Easy girl, what is wrong with you today?" Neal says to his horse.

He hands the saddle over to a guy helping him with his horse. Emma watches the interaction between Neal and his horse as she walks towards them. She is ready to flirt more with the prodigal son.

"Off to a rough start, huh?" Emma calls up.

She watches as Neal's head pops up and looks in her direction. He smiles at her and walks towards her closing the gap between them.

"Ah, I was hoping you wouldn't be here to see this." Neal admits.

"Sorry to disappoint you. If it helps, I made a bet that you would win." Emma tells him with a smile.

"Definitely does not help." he says while he hands his helmet and polo mallet to another man standing by. "You know you are making it very difficult for me to impress you."

"I am already impressed." She responds as she steps up to the horse and begins to stroke its nose. "Beautiful pony. Thorough bred mix, about seven years old."

"You've spent some time around horses." Neal responds.

"Yeah, I was captain of the equestrian club my semester in Barcelona." Emma replies.

A new saddle is placed on the horse and Neal climbs on to straddle the horse. "Now who is impressing who?" He asks her.

Emma smiles at him.

"Would you like to go out some time?" He asks her.

"Riding?" She asks him.

"Yeah, riding. Or just dinner." He expresses.

"Win the match and its yes to both." She responds with a smile.

"And if I lose?" Neal asks her.

"Then we will see." Emma says with a shrug.

Neal smiles at her and Emma grabs the reigns to the horse and begins to lead the horse and Neal onto the polo field.

\\*****/

"Looks like you could use a cool drink." Albert Spencer states as he walks toward Regina who is sitting on a couch and staring off.

"Might take something stronger than lemonade today, Thanks for meeting me, Albert." Regina says as he sits down next to her.

"What were you able to find out?" She asks him before taking a sip of the drink he brought her.

"About your pretty little neighbor?" He asks while watching Emma and Neal on the polo field. "Filthy rich and squeaky clean as far as I can tell. Her daddy was a wealthy expat, gave her enough to bounce around the globe collecting degrees and doing good deeds."

"No romantic scandals or divorces?" She asks him.

"Nothing stateside. There are a few stones left unturned but I don't expect much. Why are you so interested in this girl anyway?" He inquires.

"Because she is interested in my son and need I remind you what happened with that cocktail waitress Neal fell for last summer." Regina tells him.

"No I was the one that cleaned up that mess." He responds. "I can promise you Emma Swan is no cocktail waitress."

"I am not interested in what she is not. I wanna know who she is." She remarks.

"Well then, perhaps, you should go straight to the source. Ask her yourself." Albert tells her before standing up and walking away.

"Albert, did you know about Robert and Belle?" Regina calls out to him.

Albert turns around to face her. "I am head of your husbands security, of course I knew." He responds.

"But you kept it a secret from me anyway." She replies.

"It's my job to keep secrets. You of all people should appreciate that." He comments before turning back around and walking away.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **A/N. I just wanted to clear up some confusion. This is not a SwanQueen story. Emma and Regina are the main characters throughout the entire story but they are not romantically involved at any point during the story. The only relationship they have is that of their rivalry.**

Emma is standing in the tent again watching Neal play in the second half of the polo match. She can hear Robert Mills shouting encouraging words to his son in the distance. Neal makes a goal and begins to cheer.

\\*****/

Killian Jones sits abroad his boat, The Emma, writing in a notebook while August Booth is below deck looking around.

"There is some really nice detail here, Jones." August tells him.

He looks up from his notebook and responds, "I restored every inch of her myself."

"Well now that I own her, do you want to tell me why you named her Emma?" August asks him.

Killian stands up and walks off of the boat. August follows behind him.

"Just a girl I knew once." He replies while walking down the dock.

"That's it?" August probes.

"That's it." Killian states while beginning to untie the boat from the dock.

"I would love too. I just need someone to show me the ropes." August replies.

Killian walks down the dock and throw the line onto the deck of the ship. "Wait, wait, wait. You don't know how to sail?" He asks August.

"I was thinking we might make another arrangement." August tells him.

Killian shakes his head. "Unbelievable. I am not going to teach you how to captain my own boat."

"Well, actually, I'd like to leave the whole captain thing to you." August tells him as Killian walks abroad the boat with the line in his hand. "What I want is someone to hang out with this summer like Gilligan and Skipper. Except this little buddy can get you on some killer guest lists."

"You're serious?" Killian asks him. "Why would I want to hang out with you?"

August shrugs and responds, "Cause you don't want to see _The Emma_ at the bottom of the ocean."

Killian looks at him for a few moments and weighs his options in his head. August did make a valid point. _The Emma_ was his life's work up until that point and he invested a lot of time and money into this boat. He did not want to see August ruin that. Killian joins August who just walked onto the deck of the boat.

"Sit down." He tells August as he moves to the wheel of the boat. He starts the boats engine and begins to navigate _The Emma_ away from the dock and into the harbor.

\\*****/

Henry Jones is back at the bar after his shift ended when the bar closed suddenly for the day. He grabs a cooler from upstairs and brings in down to the bar. He places a few cans of soda and a bottle of rum he stole from the bar into the cooler.

He hears a knock on the door of the bar and a voice call out, "Hello, anyone in there?"

"Just a second." He shouts as his reply.

"Hey, it's Violet." Violet says as Henry walks to the door of the bar and unlocks it.

"Henry." Violet says.

"Hey" Henry replies as he opens the door to Violet and all of her prep school friends including her on and off again boyfriend Adam Connor. "Everybody."

"I hope its okay, I brought a few friends." Violet says.

"Yeah, it's just…" Henry starts before he is cut off by one of Violet's friends.

"Boat's not big enough?" Adam asks.

"The boats plenty big." Henry responds. "I'm Henry."

"I'm Violet's boyfriend." Adam responds.

Violet and her friends step into the bar. Violet looks around and notices that there is no one in the bar.

"Where are all your customers?" Violet asks.

"Shut down early." Henry responds.

"Health inspector." Adam comments.

"Inventory." Henry responds while slamming the door to the bar shut. He thought it was just going to be him and Violet on the boat today but it looks like he thought wrong.

"Great, then no one will miss this." Adam says while grabbing a bottle of vodka from on top of the bar.

"Adam, put that back." Violet tells him. "Unless, umm, you think we can get away with it." She says while turning to face Henry.

Adam stares him down waiting for his response.

"You kidding me, I practically run this place." Henry responds while putting on sunglasses. He is trying to seem tough and cool in front of Violet, her boyfriend, and her friends. He closes the cooler and asks, "It's still rum and diet, right, Violet?" Henry proceeds to shove the cooler into Adam's hands.

"Right" She responds.

Adam places the bottle of vodka back onto the top of the bar and follows Henry and Violet out of the bar. Henry walks towards the dock outside of the bar and his face falls. The boat is gone.

"No, no, no, you have got to be kidding me." Henry exclaims.

"What's wrong?" Violet asks him.

"The boat's gone." Henry responds as he continues to walk down the dock. He pulls out his phone from the pocket of his jeans.

"What do you mean gone? Like stolen?" She asks him.

"I don't know. It should be here. My brother said he was going to the bank." He responds before putting his phone up to his ear. "Come on, man, pick up." He says into the phone as it continues to ring and ring.

Violet and her friends stop on the dock.

"What a joke." Adam says to the rest of the group. "Are you coming?" Adam says to Violet as the group starts to walk back up the dock.

"Sorry." Violet says before turning and following her friends.

Henry watches as Violet and her friends walks back up the dock.

\\*****/

Emma returned home from the polo match an hour ago, showered, and changed into comfortable clothing. She is now sitting in her living room with her infinity box resting on the table next to her laptop which has a recording of the news coverage of her father's trial open. She opens the box and pulls out the photo on top. It is from her childhood and its of her, her father, and uncle Owen on the birthday she got Sammy.

She stares at the photo for a few moments before putting it down on the table. She picks up one of her father's journals from the box and begins to read an entry she had book marked.

 _My dear, Emma, the worst betrayals always come from the ones we trust the most. If I am at all culpable for what happened to us; it is because I gave away my trust too easily._

Emma remembers what happened after that photo was taken.

" _What an age to be, not a care in the world." She hears Uncle Owen say._

 _She opens one eye from her nap on the couch and sees he's leaning over her playing with his red dice in his right hand._

" _Well, she is growing up without a mom." David replies._

" _Last I checked you were working on a plan to change that with Regina." Owen says._

 _David lets out a short breathy laugh. "So what's going on, Owen?" He asks him._

" _I'm in trouble, David. Do you remember the Greenville merger?" Owen asks him._

" _Yeah, you made a killing on that." David responds._

" _We have a mole on the board of directors." Owen states._

" _Oh my god, Bill, tell me you are joking." David responds._

" _I knew that merger was coming." Owen tells him._

" _If the SEC gets a hold of this, you are going to jail, Owen." David states._

" _Mills security wanted to get into my database this morning. Albert called me, Mills wants to cut a deal." Owen tells him._

" _What kind of deal?" David asks him._

" _Whatever kind of deal he wants, Mills is holding all of the cards." Owen responds._

Emma stares at the notebook for a few seconds before putting the notebook down. She moves her hand to the laptop to start the video.

"You and David Nolan worked closely together, would you consider yourself friends?" The attorney asks Owen in the video.

"I thought we were, yes." Owen responds.

"And when did that change?" The attorney asks Owen.

"When I discovered that he had been using inside information to make illegal trades." Owen responds. "After I turned him in, I found out that he had been laundering money as well."

"And what was the name of the organization you believe David Nolan was laundering money for?" The attorney questions him.

"American Initiative." He responds.

"The same American Initiative that claimed responsibility for blowing up Flight 197 last summer?" The attorney asks.

Owen does not respond right away in the video, he pauses and looks at her father before answering, "Yes."

Emma watches as her father's face falls when a man he called his best friend lies on the stand to get him to take the blame from something he didn't even do.

The landline rings and break's Emma attention away from her laptop and the video. She turns around and looks across the first floor before getting up to answer the phone.

"Hello." Emma says.

"Is this Emma?" She hears Regina ask on the other side of the line.

"Yes, it is." She responds.

"Emma, this is Regina Mills. I took a chance and dialed the number I had for Belle's old landline. I hope I haven't disturbed you." Regina says on the line.

"No, not at all." Emma responds.

"I want to invite you over to the house tomorrow for tea. Is that something you think you might be able to do?" Regina asks her.

Emma looks up through her blinds and see Regina staring at her from a balcony at the Mills Manor.

"Yes, that sounds lovely." Emma responds.

"Good. I think it's time you and I get to know each other a little better." Regina states.

"I'm looking forward to it." Emma replies.

"Til then." Regina says.

Emma hangs up the phone and looks up to see Regina is still watching her from the balcony. She turns and walks away from the window and into the kitchen knowing full well that Regina is still watching her every move. Emma could not wait for tea tomorrow.

 **A/N. I know David and Regina is not a very normal ship but this is AU and based off of Revenge. Also, I had someone ask me for the Once characters and Revenge characters to make it less confusing to read so here is a reference. I hope this helps!**

 **Revenge Character Once Character**

Victoria Grayson Regina Mills

Emily Thorne/ Amanda Clarke Emma Nolan (Emma Swan)

Conrad Grayson Mr. Gold (Robert Mills)

Daniel Grayson Neal Cassidy (Neal Mills)

Charlotte Grayson Violet (Violet Mills)

Carl Porter Brennan Jones

Jack Porter Killian Jones

Declan Porter Henry Mills (Henry Jones)

Nolan Ross August Booth

Ashley Davenport Tamara

Lydia Davis Belle (Belle Scarlett)

Michael Davis Will Scarlett

Frank Stevens Albert Spencer

Adam Connor (Not a Once character)

Bill Harmon Owen Flynn


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The next day Emma Swan is walking through the offices of Owen Flynn's financial company listening to him give his speech about why she should invest her money with him. She really hopes this is worth a trip into the city.

"If you invest your money with Mills Global, you're definitely going to see a return. That's a guarantee. I came up through the ranks there so I know how they work. Mills has gone soft over the years, I still believe in making big trades when it's warranted." Owen tells her. "Valerie Thomas, Emma Swan."

"Hi, nice to meet you." Emma says while extending her hand.

Valerie shakes it while replying, "Nice to meet you."

Valerie walks away and Owen leads Emma into his office.

"So, bottom line, you're young, you're sitting on a huge pile of lazy assets, now's the time you should be taking some calculated risks." He states.

"I am not afraid of taking risks, Mr. Flynn, I just need to know that you're not rolling the dice blind." She tells him matter-of-factly.

"Still need proof of that crystal ball, huh?" He asks her.

Emma looks down and notices Owen's id badge lying on his desk right next to his key board. She watches the key board as he types his password into the computer to show her line graphs of returns his company is able to produce.

"For your eyes only." He tells her as he shifts the computer monitor in her direction so she can see it better. "These are real returns of our top investors in the last five years. Now that is double digit gains across the boards. This could be you."

"That's incredible." She responds. "Can I get a copy?"

"A good magician never reveals his secrets. We provide the highest level of confidentiality to our clients." Owen tells her as he goes to pick up the dice on his desk. He begins to roll them in his hand as he speaks to her. "It is vital to the health of the hedge and a courtesy you can also expect should you come onboard."

"Well, you've given me a lot to think about." She tells him as he smiles back at her.

\\*****/

Belle Scarlett waits near the side of a busy street for Robert. She is checking her phone when a black town car pulls up beside her. Albert Spencer steps out of the car and opens the door for her.

"Mrs. Scarlett." He says.

"Thanks for picking me up on the street corner like a prostitute." She tells him before stepping into the car and sitting next to Robert.

"Yeah, alright, don't send anyone through for the next half an hour, Sharon. Well, I'll return calls when I'm back at the office." Robert says into the phone before hanging it up.

"So you do still return calls?" She questions him.

"Belle, I understand, you're upset." He says.

"I'm not upset. I'm ruined." She tells him while handing him a manila folder.

"What's this?" He asks her.

"Will's attorney presented these to the judge…" She tells him as he opens the folder and looks through it. The folder contains photos illustrating Robert and Belle's affair. "… and they triggered the infidelity clause in our prenup. I get nothing. The beach house. My jewelry. The damn dog. Everything is gone."

"I am sorry, Belle. Really, I am, but what can I do about it?" He asks her.

"You can write me a check. A big one" She states.

\\*****/

Emma walks out of the elevator of the building Owen Flynn's office is in. Her phone rings in her purse and she answers it.

"This is Emma." She says.

"Emma, its Karen with Kellar House Real Estate. I'm afraid I have some bad news; the beach house to someone else." Her realtor tells her over the phone.

This causes Emma to stop in her track in the lobby of the building.

"What?" She asks raising her voice. "Who?"

\\*****/

At the Stowaway Bar, Killian is taking inventory of all the alcohol at the bar. Henry walks in and slams the door.

"Where the hell you been all day?" He asks Henry. "There's a ton of work to do around here."

"You really screwed me, you know that?" Henry roars at him.

"Huh?" Killian remarks placing the clipboard he is holding on top of the bar.

"I promised a girl I'd take her sailing. Yeah, that's why I asked if I could borrow the boat." Henry explains to him.

"Okay. Well, I'm sorry I couldn't accommodate your joyride. You'll just have to find another way to impress her." He tells Henry.

"What is your problem?" Henry asks him frustrated with how his brother is acting. "You and Dad have been acting like such tools lately."

Killian slams his fist on the bar top. "Are you really that blind to what's going on? Dad's broke. I sold the boat to keep this albatross going."

"Is that true?" Brennan asks from a top the stairs.

Killian and Henry both look up to see their father at the top of the stairs looking down at them.

"Cancel that transaction." Brennan tells his son.

Killian sighs. "It's too late, pop. The bank already applied the sale to your loan."

"Then, we will buy it back." Brennan tells him.

"With what?" Killian asks him. "All of our assets are right here in this room. Dad, I'm trying to save this place for you."

"Nobody asked you to do that, Killian!" Brennan shouts. "I'm the captain of this family, not you."

Killian shakes his head in acknowledgment and watches his father walk back into their apartment from where he was standing at the top of the stairs. Henry looks back at Killian.

"Killian, I'm sorry. I didn't know." Henry whispers.

"Well… now you do." Killian replies.

Killian's phone rings inside of his sweatshirt pocket. He reaches inside his pockets and pulls out his phone wondering who is calling him. He looks down to see that it is August Booth. He presses ignore and puts the phone back into his pocket. He smiles weakly at Henry and continues to take inventory.

\\*****/

Somewhere in town, August is walking down the street holding a pink box and a takeout box in his arm and his phone against his ear in his hand.

"Hello, Killian. I'm trying to book my next sailing expedition." He says into the phone as he move to unlock his car and get inside the driver side. "But you are making it very difficult." He closes the door behind him.

From behind him, Emma leans forward and says, "I told you, if you got in my way, I would take you down. You stole my house."

August does not look surprised to see her there given her special set of skills.

"If I hadn't, Victoria would have. She outbid you with a cash offer this morning." August tells her while looking at her through the rearview mirror.

"How could you have possibly know that?" She asks him through her teeth.

"Cause I hacked the realtor's computer. I have been tracking the sale all week. Victoria outbid you, so I outbid her." He tells her.

"Why is it so important for you to be a part of this?" She asks him leaning forward.

He turns around to face her. "When I met your dad, I had already been laughed out of every boardroom in New York. I was an M.I.T misfit with a vision that nobody got but him. The only reason AUCORP exists is because your father gave me cash form his personal account to develop it and that's because he believed in me." He confides to her.

"I want the deed to the house." She tells him.

"It's already in your name. Consider it a birthday gift. Tomorrow is a big day isn't it?" He asks her.

Emma steps out of the car without saying another word. She had better things to do than reminisce with August.

 **A/N. Thanks for reading.**

 **Also, Valerie Thomas is a Revenge character whose part is only in this chapter. It did not seem right to waste a Once character on someone who has such a small role. The realtor is not a Once character. Brennan Jones, a Once character, would be Carl Porter in the Revenge world.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Later that day, Emma is seated in the living room of the Mills Manor having tea with Regina. Emma is seated on the couch wearing a modest dress in earth tones while Regina sat on what could only be described as a throne wearing a pink bandage dress.

"Daniel mentioned that you were captain of an equestrian team in Barcelona." Regina states while picking up her tea cup and saucer off of the table.

"Yes, just for a semester." Emma replies.

"Oh, when was that, exactly?" Regina asks her.

"2005. Why do you ask?" She responds.

"I rode steeplechase when I was in boarding school at Montpelier. I'm curious what else we have in common. What are some of your other interests?" She inquires.

"History for one. I'm practically obsessed with it." She responds with a chuckle.

"Funny at my yacht party, you were more concerned with current events it seemed." Regina retorts.

"Art conservation is another one of my passions that's why I joined New York's Landmark Preservation Society. My father always said that our past defines who we are." She replies with grace.

"I would say our choices define us." Regina states while looking over Emma's head.

"Maybe for the lucky," Emma states maintaining eye contact with Regina. "But sometimes in life, we're not always given a choice."

"Emma?" A voice calls out from behind her.

Emma turns to see Neal walking into the room, holding ear buds. He is dressed in black running shorts and a gray tank top. He is covered in a layer of sweat; Emma assumes he just came from a run.

"Hi." Emma replies.

"Hi." Neal says hesitantly. "What's going on?" He asks as he walks closer to his mother."

"Well, you mother invited me over for tea." Emma responds with a smile.

"Neal, for God sake, pull yourself together. You're a sweaty brute." Regina tells her son.

Neal looks down and chuckles. "My apologizes. Had I known my mother had summoned you, I'd have looked at least 50% less brutish."

Emma smiles at him. "No, it's fine." She says while placing her tea cup and saucer on the table. "I should get going, really. I have to work out some issue with my realtor." She grabs her keys and clutch from the table. "Things got a little aggressive today in our bidding war, today."

Emma grabs her cell phone from her clutch as she walks from Neal and checks her message.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Will you be on the hunt for a fallback rental, or are you headed back to the city?" Regina asks her not trying to hide her excitement that she had gotten rid of Emma.

Emma looks up from her phone and turns to face Regina. "Actually, as of this e-mail, I've just become the official new owner of the beach house." She says with a smile and a laugh.

Neal taps Emma on the elbow slightly. "That's great news. Congratulations." He tells her.

Emma tries to hide her amusement as she watches Regina's face fall. She turns back to face Neal.

"Thank you." She tells him with a large smile plastered on her face.

"Now how about I make good on that date and take you out to celebrate?" He asks her.

"That sounds great. How about tomorrow?" She asks him.

"Yeah, tomorrow's perfect. I know just the place. Come on. I'll walk you out." He tells her as he starts to head out of the living room.

"Thank you so much for tea, Mrs. Mills. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed this." Emma tells her with a fake smile plastered on her face.

Regina's face was priceless; she wish she could have taken a picture of it. And this was just the beginning of Emma had planned.

\\*****/

After tea with Regina, Emma went back to the beach house and changed into white pants and a little gray button up. She ended up heading into town to meet with August while walking around the shops and restaurants in the Hamptons.

"Oh man, I wish I could have seen the look on Regina's face. And don't say it was priceless, because that was bought and paid for, baby." August tells her.

"I'll get you your money back." She tells him.

"No, no, no, keep it. We'll write it off as an initiation fee into our little club." He says with a smirk on his face.

"It's not a club, August, and we are not partners do you understand me?" She asks him with an irritated tone of voice.

"Yeah, sure. Call it whatever you want. I'm just happy to be here… coach." He tells her while bumping into her shoulder.

Emma just rolls her eyes at him. In front of them, a black Lamborghini speeds onto a side street and parks. Owen Flynn steps out of the car clad in a navy blazer and brown dress pants.

"Owen Flynn?" August asks her. "What do you need me to do?"

Emma knows her he watching so she turns and hugs August.

"You just did it. Now go." She whispers in his ear.

She lets go and walks away from August. She begins to walk in the direction Owen Flynn walked off to. She follows behind him as they enter a restaurant. Owen gestures for her to lead the way and she sits down at a table. They share pleasantries as the waitress takes their drink order and brings back their drinks.

"I must say it was a pleasant surprise hearing from you again so quickly." Owen tells her.

"What can I say? You made a great case." She responds.

"And you made a great decision. I will personally see to it that your portfolio reflects all the effort and wisdom that went into building my company." He tells her.

"That's what I'm counting on." She replies with a smile. She leans back in her chair and cross her arms.

"Where you money is, my money is. You want to make an adjustment in how you're leveraged, I'll talk you through it. And if, for any special reason, you want to go big on a particular stock, I'll make sure it's worth your while." He tells her leaning forward trying to sell to her that she has made the best decision.

"Actually, now that you mention it, what can you tell me about Allcom cellular?" She asks leaning forward to mimic his posture.

"Chinese smartphone manufacturer. Not really huge in the global market, but I wouldn't count them out down the road. Why?" He asks her.

"I want to get in with them, today." She responds.

"Today." He repeats. "Any particular reason?"

"A little bird may have whispered something." She responds as the waitress comes to their table to bring them their food. She thanks the waitress before turning to look back at Owen. "I'll wire the funds this afternoon and we can deal with the whole portfolio transfer next week."

"Sounds good." He responds with a smile.

Everything is going according to plan and that is just how Emma likes it.

\\*****/

At the Stowaway, Killian walks up the stairs and into the apartment. He finds his father at his desk fiddling with various knick knacks on the desk. A bottle of rum sits a few inches from his left hand.

"Hey, pop. You doing all right?" He asks his father.

His father looks up towards Killian. "The bottle was half empty when I started."

"Okay. Well, I'll be sure to make a note of that in the inventory." Killian replies.

They both chuckle. "A young man shouldn't have to give up on his dreams because his old man can't run a business." His father tells him.

"I haven't given up on anything, Dad, and neither should you." Killian reassures him.

"You know, when your mother left, it all went to hell, didn't it?" He asks Killian rhetorically. "You must be so ashamed of me."

"Dad, I'm not…" Killian starts to say as he walks across the room towards his father. "…ashamed of you. I'm proud of you. You've kept this place afloat against all odds. We're gonna make it through this. We're gonna come out on top, like we always have."

"You know what? You're right. Tomorrow will be better." He responds.

"You bet it will." Killian tells his father.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Emma arrived home from her lunch with Owen Flynn twenty minutes ago and is walking down the stairs when her cell phone rings in her pocket. It's Neal calling her and she swipes to answer it.

"Hey." She says answering the phone.

"I was just thinking about tonight." Neal tells her.

"Oh, yeah? What were you thinking?" She asks him as she steps into her kitchen and over to her kitchen table.

"How do you feel about surprises?" He asks her.

"Tonight? Pretty good." She responds as she focuses on the laptop on the table.

"Great, then I won't say anymore. I'll pick you up at six." He tells her.

"How should I dress?" She asks him.

"Surprise me." He tells her before she hears him hang up.

Emma places the phone on the table and turns up the volume on her laptop. The news she is streaming finally is discussing financial news.

"In other financial news, Wall Street is buzzing with rumors that Allcom Cellular is now a front-runner for an exclusive contract with innovate chip maker AUCORP. August Booth, the notoriously cagey C.E.O and founder has promised a webcam announcement to address those rumors." The female reports says in the video.

Her cell phone rings and she looks down to see its Owen Flynn calling her. Right on time, she thinks with a smile.

"Hello?" She says answering the phone.

"Emma, Owen Flynn. Listen, that little bird that whispered Allcom, it wouldn't happen to be the gentleman I saw you hugging outside of the café earlier?" He asks her.

"I am not saying that it was and I'm not saying that it wasn't, but I will say is that I trust that little bird enough to double my position." She says bating him.

"That's all I need to know." He says as she hears him hang up the phone.

She has got him right where she wants him. She turns her focus back to the news report streaming on her laptop.

"… A fortune 500 company with August being named one of the richest men in the world. He's known for a brazen attitude and a take-no-prisoners leadership style, and AUCORP and Booth continue to push the boundaries of cellular technology. We take you know, live, to August Booth and that announcement as promised." The reporter says.

Emma leans forward resting her elbows on the table as she watches the video closely. This is going to be good and she wishes she could see Flynn's face when everything he has built up goes down in flames. Emma rolls her eyes when August's live stream in on the screen. He is being is usual August self. No wonder he does not have a lot of friends.

"Greetings, Earthlings, August Booth here with what was supposed to be a surprise announcement about the future of AUCORP, but someone somewhere has a big mouth. I can now confirm that all the Allcom rumors came from a woefully misguided employee. Allcom is dead to me and will not be receiving the contract. Instead, I've decided to offer our humble services to Allcom's soon to be chief competitor, Unitech." August says in the video.

The video cuts back to the reporter and the graph next to her head shows Allcom's stock plummeting fast. All is going according to plan, Emma thinks to herself.

"Expect Unitech to open huge tomorrow, and for those of you who bet big on Allcom Cellular, get ready to cover some equally heavy losses. In related tech news, the next generation…." The reporter says in the video.

She turns down the volume on the laptop and grabs a burner phone from a drawer in her living room. She has one more thing to do for her revenge plan with Owen to be complete. She goes to the kitchen table and pulls out reports she took from Flynn's computer. She grabs the burner phone and dials.

"Hello, this is Valerie calling from Bill Harmon's office. I'm afraid I've got some bad news regarding a major stock loss today and its immediate effect on your portfolio. Please call the office as soon as you can." She says before hanging up the phone.

One major investor down, a handful more to call.

\\*****/

Albert Spencer arrives at the Mills Manor and is escorted to the sun room where Regina is waiting.

"I have the information you requested about Emma Swan." He says showing her a photo of Emma on an equestrian team at the University of Barcelona.

"What is this? A big I told you so?" She asks him.

"It was going to be until I printed out a roster of active board members of the New York Landmark Preservation Society. This is a role call from February." Albert says handing her the sheet of paper.

"And there's Emma, just like she said." Regina states.

"And there's Will Scarlett." Albert says pointing at Will's name a few above Emma's

"Belle's husband?" Regina asks.

"You remember the rumor that Will was sleeping with a young lady this spring?" Albert asks her.

Regina nods.

"Well here is another roll call from March and neither are present. Coincidence?" He asks her.

Regina smiles at him. This is the perfect thing to ruin Emma, to get her out of their lives especially her son's life.

\\*****/

Owen Flynn sits at his desk in his office in the city. It has been one hell of a day and it is long from over. He plays with his pair of dice on the desk as Valerie walks into the office.

"It's leaked." She tells him with a grim face. "All our investors are pulling out. We're finished." She pauses for a moment before asking him, "How do you want to deal with what's happening downstairs?"

"Who's downstairs?" he asks her.

"Everyone." She replies.

Owen realizes he has to face all of his employees and explain to them what happened. This is going to be a long day.

\\*****/

Killian sits at a table at the Stowaway writing down the bar's inventory as Henry shouts it to him from the bar.

"Ten well whiskey, and then, uh, we got eight gin, twelve rum." Henry tells his brother.

There is a knock on the door.

"We're closed." Killian shouts.

"It's August!" August shouts back.

Killian groans and turns around to let August in. August strolls into the bar like he owns the place.

"What's up, August?" Killian asks him as he walks towards the bar.

"What's up is, you never return my calls." August tells him.

"I've been a little busy." Killian replies.

August looks around the Stowaway and scoffs. "Doesn't look like it." August turns and sees Henry leaning against the bar. "Ah, hey, sport."

"You're the guy who bought the boat." Henry says pointing his finger at August.

"Proud new papa." August quips with a smile.

"You know he only sold it to you to pay off the lien on my dad's bar?" Henry asks him.

"No. I did not know that." He responds.

"Yeah. So you being around right now probably isn't the best thing for him." He tells him.

"I get that a lot." August responds.

"Still closed, August." Killian tells him when he walks back into the room from the stock room.

"Yeah, I know. Hey, so… what's say you and I hit up a little party I caught wind of tonight?" August suggests.

"I'm sorry, Gilligan. We're done hanging out." Killian tells him.

"What if I said I'd give you your boat back at the end of the season?" August offers.

Killian and Henry both look up at him in shock.

"What's he talking about?" Henry asks.

"Whoa, wait, wait, wait. You're, you're saying that if I pretend to be your friend, you'll give me my boat back, free and clear?" Killian asks trying to clarify what August just offered.

"Well, see, it'd be better if you didn't have to pretend, but, uh, that's the gist, um, plus, all the cool parties." August tells them.

"Oh, he's in." Henry says answering before his brother can.

"Henry." Killian says.

"What? That's a hell of a deal. Come on, and if anyone could use a night off, it's you. I got it handled here." Henry bargains with his brother.

Killian sighs. "He's got it handled." August adds.

"Yeah." Henry says with enthusiasm.

Killian moves from behind the bar and goes to grab his jacket from a chair near the bar. He starts to walk out the door and August moves to follow him.

\\*****/

Violet and Adam are walking to the Mills Manor from the beach. They are wet and still in their bathing suits with towels thrown across their shoulders. Violet opens the door to the parlor and Adam follows her into the house.

"How come we never go to your house?" Violet asks him.

He does not answer and instead grabs her ass playfully.

"Adam, stop!" she shouts as she turns around to swat his hand away. "You're all sticky and sandy."

"So let's go rinse off." He suggests. He pulls her closer and runs his hand down her side resting it on her ass.

Violet sighs. "We're supposed to be on a break, remember?" She reminds him.

"And whose bad idea was that?" He asks her. He leans down to kiss her neck when her mother's voice calls from upstairs.

"Violet, is that you?" Regina shouts from upstairs.

"Adam, go." She whispers. "Go. Go. Please go." She practically pushes him out of the door.

He puts his hands up in surrender. "Okay. Okay."

Violet backs away slowly and turns and runs out of the room. "What is it, mom?" she shouts as she moves through the house.

Before Adam leaves, Violet's cellphone beeps in her bag which she left on the table of the parlor. He turns and walks towards the table and goes through her purse until he finds her phone. That kid Henry is texting Violet. Adam types a response to Henry as Violet before placing the phone back into her purse and walking out of Mills Manor.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Later that night, Neal and Emma walk down the beach near sunset. Emma is still not sure what he has planned for their date but this is a nice way to start it. Emma is clad white sundress with a light pink shawl around her shoulders. Her hair is pulled back in a loose bun. Neal is wearing white pants, a light blue linen shirt, and light gray sport coat.

"I hope my mother wasn't too hard on you the other day." Neal says to her.

"I' don't scare too easily. Does she interrogate all of your dates?" She asks him.

"Yeah. My mom's not really a hand's off kind of person. Well, at least she got rid of her lie detector." He tells her as he puts out his hand. Emma takes it and lets him lead her to the picnic basket and blanket he has set up on the beach. "Kidding. She'll never get rid of that thing."

She laughs at his comment. "I hope you're not planning on becoming a comedian."

"Maybe in my next life." He responds with a laugh. "My future is pretty well mapped out this time around."

Emma sits down on an old stump of a tree that is near the picnic blanket. Neal sits on the one next to it.

"One more year at Harvard Business then it's straight to the boardroom. I wouldn't be surprised if my dad already had an office picked out for me." He tells her.

"Mmm. That sounds…" She starts.

"I know how it sounds." He says interrupting her. He shakes his head at her. "What about your parents?" He asks her.

"Mom. Um… caring, smart, and my dad just very… special. Lovely people." She tells him softly knowing that this question would arise sooner or later.

"So I shouldn't expect an interrogation?" He asks with a smile.

"They passed away when I was a kid. Car crash." She informs him.

His face softens. "I am so sorry. Do you have any brothers or sisters?" he asks her.

She shakes her head and shrugs, "Just me."

"Well, you and that beautiful beach house." He remarks trying to make her smile.

His feat is a success. She smiles and chuckles at his remark.

"Maybe you can set down some roots of your own now." He tells her.

"Yeah, maybe." She responds. "Wanna come by for the tour?"

"I'm ready when you are." He replies.

Emma and Neal walk down the beach until they are back at her beach house. It is a short ten minute walk. The picnic Neal planned for them was on the beach just on the other side of Mills Manor. She leads him up the stairs to the porch of the beach house.

"So how does it feel to know you'll be spending the night in your own home?" He asks her.

"It's kind of hard to describe, actually." She says as she pauses outside of the glass door on her porch. She sighs as she looks him in the eyes. "I had a really good time tonight."

"Me, too." He says to her maintain eye contact as he steps forward and begins to lean towards her. She begins to lean forward when the sound of dog whining causes her to turn around. She sees Sammy whining as he comes to view on the porch. She hears Killian calling after to him but he is not in her view yet.

Killian is still calling to Sammy when he and August step into view. Killian looks up to see Neal and Emma standing on the porch close to each other.

"Sorry." He mutters when he realizes he's interrupting something.

"Are we early or are we late?" August asks with a smile.

Emma just looks at them confused and Killian returns her confused look. From behind her, she hears the doors open as Tamara steps out and a crowd of people yell surprise. She turns around to see a large gathering of people in her house and a banner welcoming her to the Hamptons.

"Welcome to the Hamptons, Emma" Tamara says with a large smile. "We're here to celebrate with you."

Emma looks around at all the people nervously. She is not happy that all these people are in her house. They could have seen everything. They could have discovered her secret. She makes a mental note to change the locks on the doors and move the box from her father to a more secure place in the house. She forces herself to smile and act happy in front of Tamara and Neal. Socialite Emma loves the idea of a party in her home; revenge seeking Emma on the other hand does not but she would have to deal with that later.

Later that night, Tamara finally pulls Emma aside to talk. Emma had been moving from person to person all night replies to congratulations and making nice with the locals.

"I am so sorry, Ems. 'How to ruin a first date' by Tamara Davenport." She apologizes to Emma.

"No, no, this is great." She reassures her friend. "I am just not big on surprises."

"Lesson learned. Whatever you do, don't take it out on Neal. I practically had to force him into doing this." Tamara tells her.

Emma chuckles and catches Neal's eye across the room.

"Speaking of surprises, I am pretty sure that dog was not on the guest list." Tamara comments as she furrows her brow and crosses her arms across her chest.

Emma watches as Sammy jumps onto his hind legs and begins to eat off of a plate of food resting on her kitchen table. Killian turns around and maneuvers Sammy out of the food.

"And neither is the hottie that he came with." Tamara remarks.

Emma walks away as Tamara walks forward to investigate the dog and the "hottie".

"Surprise." August says as he turns around to face her.

"What do you think you're doing bringing Killian here?" She asks him through a forced smile and gritted teeth.

"Killian and I are friends." August tells her.

"You don't have friends." She replies. "Neither one of us can afford them. You know that."

"Speak for yourself. You betrayed me. I thought we had an understanding" He tells her.

Emma spots Neal from across the room and he waves and smiles at her. She waves and smiles back at him.

"So did I." She tells him through gritted teeth.

"I know it was you who went to the press. I just can't understand why you'd leak the wrong info when you had access to the AUCORP memos. You knew I was going with Unitech." He tells her.

She laughs. "Yes, but Owen Flynn didn't. He bet big on Allcom, two billion of his funds' assets down the drain." She tells him before showing him a press conference video from earlier that day on her cell phone.

"After a financially fatal move in the market today, Flynn Investments founder Owen Flynn was swarmed by a mob of angry investors outside his office…" A male voice says in the video.

She looks over August's shoulder and finds Neal staring at her. She mouths that she is going outside to him and hope he gets the hint to follow her. He gestures to the person in front of him and mouths that he is sorry.

"We expect the imminent collapse of Flynn Investments and major personal losses for…" The male voice continues before she takes the phone of August's hand.

"He's ruined." She says with a smile before walking away.

 **A/N.** Shout out to Andy Pandy for their kind words.

Also, some slightly bad news Revenge is leaving Netflix on Monday so that may put a bump in the road as I continue to write this fic.

 **P.S.** Does anyone know if Tamara has a last name? I couldn't find it when I searched the internet, so I gave her the last name of her matching character on Revenge.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15:**

After Killian left the Stowaway with August earlier that evening, Henry began to clean up the bar and get ready for what he hoped was a date with Violet Mills. He chilled a bottle of champagne, set out flowers on a table in the middle, and even found candles in the storage room in the back. He wanted everything to be perfect for Violet.

He is putting the finishing touches on everything when there is a knock on the door of the bar. "I'll be right there." He calls out before rushing over to the door on the other side of the bar. He opens the door to find Adam and his goonies waiting for him on the other side.

He backs away as they enter the bar. "Hey, what can I do for your guys?" He asks them.

"You can stay away from Violet for starters." Adam says before nodding to two of his friends. They rush towards Henry and grab his arms.

\\*****/

Emma steps outside onto the porch of the beach house. Happy to slip away from the noise and the stress of the party happening in her home. She steps towards the railing and leans against it staring at the ocean. The ocean always had a calming effect on her.

"Emma Swan." A male voice calls out behind her. She turns to see Killian walking towards her with his hands up as a gesture of peace. "I swear to God, I am not stalking you. Though I am not sure the same could be said about my dog." He says while gesturing down towards Sammy who she now notices is walking beside him. "Congratulations on the house."

"Thank you." She replies with a soft smile.

"I hope you are not planning on tearing it down and building yourself something like that." He says pointing towards the Mills Manor behind her.

"No, no, not at all. This house stays exactly the same." She reassures him.

"Good. It's nice to know there is somebody else out there with an appreciation for history. This place sure has a lot of it." He tells her while looking intently into her eyes. She swears he is looking at her like he has known her his entire life which is true. He knew Emma Nolan when they were children but he only just met Emma Swan. "Anyway… umm… I'll let you get back to your party." She nods and smiles back at him. "If you see August, let him know I split."

"Yeah, no problem." She responds.

"It's nice to see you again." He tells her.

Instead of responding she just stares at him and nods slightly. He turns and walks away from her. She watches him walk down the porch with Sammy. She stares after him imagining the life she could have had with Killian had everything not happened.

\\*****/

Two of Adam's friends hold Henry's arms against the railing that lines the upper seating area in the bar. Adam continues to punch him in the nose and the stomach alternating between the two. Henry can feel the blood dripping down his nose and can feel his eye beginning to swell shut.

"Who are you going to stay away from?" Adam asks him when he takes a break from punching him. Henry mutters something under his breath. "What's that? I can't hear you." Adam says before stepping towards Henry. Henry headbutts Adam and he falls to the ground.

"Your mother." Henry responds the question.

Adam gets up and tells him, "You're a dead man."

"Hey!" Henry can hear his father shout from upstairs as he walks down the stairs into the bar. Adam and his friends run through the door and away from the bar as fast as their legs would take them. His father swings his baseball bat at them and Henry falls to the floor.

"Hey, Henry, who are those guys?" He asks his son when he reaches him. He helps Henry off of the floor.

"You're drunk." Henry tells his father as his father helps him stand up.

"And you look like hell but they will get what's coming to them." His father tells him.

"Yeah, I know. They will get girls and they will get cars and they will get more money than they can spend. And you know what I am going to get? Crap. You wanna know why? Cause I'm a loser, Dad, just like you." He says pushing his father away. He clutches his stomach as he limps towards the stairs.

"Henry, listen…" His father call out to him as Henry reaches the stairs. He ignores his father and keeps going up the stairs to the apartment.

\\*****/

At Mills Manor, Regina is in her bedroom that she shares with Robert watching the new on the tv. Her phone begins to buzz on the table beside her. She looks down to see it is Albert.

"Hello." She says answering the phone.

"Regina, its Albert. I found an anomaly in Emma Swan's public record." Albert says to her through the phone.

"What kind anomaly?" She asks him while she walks towards the balcony of her bedroom. She looks down at the beach house next door.

"From ages sixteen to eighteen, it's like she didn't exist. Every piece of information you would expect to find on her is sealed by the court." He tells her.

"I want you to start following her." She tells him as she continues to stare at the beach house next door. "I wanna know everywhere she goes. I wanna know everyone she sees. Something is not right here, I can feel it."

\\*****/

Emma stands on the porch of the beach house and says goodbye to one of the last partygoers as they walk down the stairs, down the sidewalk, and towards their car.

"Where we love I home. Home where our feet may leave but not our hearts." Neal says from the doorway behind her. She turns around so she can face him.

"Oliver Wendell Holmes." She says to him with a smile.

He takes a step towards her closing the gap between them. "Maybe I should have been a poet."

"You still can be." She tells him.

There is a pause between them as they both stare at each other. Neal leans forward and places his hand on her cheek. Their lips touch for a few moments. Emma could feel the spark between them as she breaks the kiss. She rests her forehead against his. She smiles at him and laces her fingers through his.

"Goodnight." He whispers to her.

"Goodnight." She replies as he takes a step back and walks around her down the steps of the porch. She turns and watches him walk down the steps. He turns and looks back at her and smiles. She returns the smile. This is going to be harder than she thought. She is beginning to fall for him. She stares up at the Mills Manor before turning to walk into the beach house.

After changing out of the dress and taking her hair down, Emma walks back down stairs and pulls out the infinity box and her laptop from its hiding place in the living room/ she sets it down on her kitchen table before sitting down at the table. She opens the box and pulls out a photo of the birthday she got Sammy. She stares at her dad's and Uncle Owen's happy faces questioning how Owen could do something so horrible to her father so soon after this photo was taken.

This is why she had to take him down. She swiped his id badge during one of their meetings, snuck into his office, and pulled up the records of his clients and their investments. She printed them quickly. She was in and out in a matter of minutes. It was almost too easy.

She places the birthday photo back into the box and pulls out the Mills Global retreat photo and a red sharpie. She crosses his face out in the photo with a red x. Two down, many more to go.

She puts the photo away and walks over to the kitchen. She pulls out a single cupcake from the fridge and lights the candle on top.

"Happy Birthday, Emma Nolan." She whispers before blowing out the candle.

\\*****/

Killian walks into the Stowaway curious as to why the all the lights in the bar were still on. His father closed up early and both he and Henry should already be upstairs at this hour. He looks down to find his father not moving on the middle of the floor of the bar.

"Dad?" Killian shouts. He runs over to him while muttering no over and over. He kneels beside his father and shakes him gently while calling out his name. He shouts for his brother who comes running down the stairs.

"Killian, what do I do?" He asks his brother as he kneels on the other side of their father.

"Call 911." Killian tells his brother as he begins to do cpr on his father. He only hopes the paramedics get there soon.

 **A/N: Sorry this took so long! Since they took this off Netflix it was harder for me to write since I cannot have the episode playing as I write the chapter. To those of you still reading this fic, thank for reading and I hope you enjoy!**

 **We have concluded episode 2 of the show. The next episode will start episode 3.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Sitting on the floor of the living room of the beach house, Emma stares at a photo from her childhood. It's her holding Sammy on her birthday. She places the photo back into the double infinity box on the tap. The sound of helicopter blades echo in the distance. She looks up towards the door and then back down at the table. She hears the door slam open.

"Freeze! Don't move! FBI!" A man's voice shouts.

Emma moves to slam the box shut as a man grabs her. "Let me go!" She shouts as she twists her torso trying to release herself from the hold.

"Stop resisting!" One voice shouts. "Check the upstairs" Another shouts.

The man turns her to face the back door of the beach house. Regina strolls in wearing a black bandage dress. She is wearing a grin on her face.

"Emma Nolan, how long did you really think you could fool me? You must be as stupid as your father." Regina tells her as the grin spreads wider on her face.

"Get on the ground" The man holding her shouts as the throw her towards the floor.

Emma shoots up from the coach panting. That was one intense dream. She has prepared too long for this to fail and her subconscious is trying to scare her. She turns as she hears light footsteps outside. She gets up off of the couch and closes the infinity box which she left open on the table. She gets up and walks over to the small chest near the stairs and places the box back in its hiding place. She takes the gun out of the chest and releases the safety. It's late at night and she isn't taking any chances.

She walks towards the back door slowly while raising her gun. When she reaches the door, she hears whining and see Sammy by the door. She lowers her arms and releases the breath she had been holding. It's just Sammy. She walks towards the table near the patio door and place the gun in the drawer before opening the door.

"Sammy. What are you doing here?" She asks as she leans down to pet the dog. It's too late for her to return the dog to Killian so she decides to let Sammy spend the night with her before returning him in the morning.

\\*****/

Regina woke up in a less than pleasant mood. She grabs a black lace robe from the chair beside her bed and her cellphone before walking over to the balcony overlooking the Hamptons. She walks out and looks towards the beach house Ms. Swan is currently renting. She see Emma on the porch with a dog. She pulls out her phone to make a call.

"Ciao, Margaret. How's Italy?" She says into the phone. She cuts right to the chase. "Weren't you on the landmark preservation committee last winter with Will Scarlet? Yes, just before he split with Lydia. Do you remember a lovely woman named Emma Swan? She paid obscenely for the Scarlet cottage next door, and you know how I can be about that kind of thing."

Regina watches as Emma walks Sammy down the beach and fades from view. She turns around to go sit on one of the chairs on the balcony. She notices a box and small note from Robert on the table. _Saw this and thought of you. It's flawless._

"No I don't want to keep you. You run. All right, darling. Bye." Regina says while hanging up the phone. She places the phone on the table and picks up the small box. She opens the box to find a necklace from Robert. She sighs. This is his way of trying to shut her up. Well, his attempts are futile and she will get back at him for the whole Belle Scarlett, only in a matter of time.

\\*****/

Henry sits at the bar of the stowaway staring at a photo of him and his father. He cannot believe that this is happening.

"I made you breakfast." Killian's voice says from behind him. He hears him come around behind him and place a plate of food next to him.

Henry wipes his cheek and replies "No. Uh, I'm not hungry."

Killian sits beside him at the bar, "You have to eat, Henry. Did you get any sleep?"

"Barely." He responds in a raspy whisper. "Uh, you know, every time I drifted off Dad was there and I'd get up to tell you the good news."

Henry watches as Killian forces himself to smile. He sees his eyes are full of tears. Killian sighs.

"I stayed up until dawn looking over Dad's will. The Stowaway's all ours now and he didn't want a funeral. He just wanted us to scatter his ashes at sea." Killian tells him.

"You know the last thing Dad heard was me calling him a loser?" Henry tells his brother, his voice cracking at the end.

"We both had a lot of fights with Dad. He knows you didn't mean it." He tries to reassure him.

"Yeah, I did mean it" The tears welling in his eyes. "Scatter him without me." He gets up abruptly from the bar stools, turns, and walks across the bar and up the stairs.

Killian watches as his little brother storms off. A knock at the door pulls away his attention. He turns and walks over to the door and opens it to find Emma and Sammy standing there.

"Good morning" Emma says with a smile on her face. In this light, Killian swears she looks like an angel.

"Hey" Killian replies surprised to see her standing there. He moves to let Emma into the bar.

She step inside. "I found this old timer at my door last night."

"Oh wow." He says as he chuckles. "I didn't even realize he was gone. I'm a little distracted. My dad just passed away from a heart attack."

"Oh, my god."

"Yeah"

"That's awful." She turns a looks at the bar to find photos scattered all across it. "Is this him?" Killian nods in response. "I lost my dad suddenly, too. I'm so sorry."

"I appreciate it." He tells her with a small smile. "Let me make you some breakfast. It's the least I can do."

"No, I would, I would love to, um, but I have this thing that I have to go do." She responds with a forced smile.

"Maybe next time." He offers.

"Yeah." She sighs. "Take care of yourself."

"You, too." He tells her. He watches as she turns and walks out of the bar. He wonders if he will always feel like she is the one who got away.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

In her room, Violet lays on her stomach texting her friends on her phone. She looks up when she hears a noise coming from across the room. Adam walks through the open glass door of her balcony and into her bedroom. She left the door open to bring a breeze into her room.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She asks him.

He climbs into bed across from her.

"Risking death to prove that I'm still into you and reminding you, you should still be into me." He tells her.

"You are so full of yourself."

"Come on. I could've broke my neck climbing up here. The least you could do is put on a bikini and come watch me play volleyball."

Violets head snaps to her left when she hears a knock on her door. She pushes Adam onto the floor on the side of her bed that can't be seen from the door.

"Get down" She whispers.

"Violet, its eleven o'clock." Her mom's voice calls from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, Mom. Happens twice a day."

Her mother waltzes into her room in a purple bandage dress.

"Well, my meeting is starting right now and it'd be nice if you would put on one of the dresses I bought you and made an appearance."

"Sorry. I already made plans."

She sighs. "Outgrow this, please, I beg of you. Oh, and you might want to let Adam know that the drainpipe he scurried up is in full view of the conservatory."

She starts to walk towards the door before telling Adam good morning over her shoulder as she exits the room. Like an idiot, Adam waves from the floor.

"Morning, Mrs. Gold." He shouts.

They both laugh as Adam sits up from the floor.

\\*****/

Regina sits on her chair, more like throne, in the conservatory while Tamara speaks to her guests on the couch. Tamara is discussing the plans for a party for Marcus Tremaine, a state senator and former federal prosecutor.

"And in keeping with your husband's image, we're planning a sort of upscale barbecue." Tamara informs the senator's wife and his campaign manager.

"Are you sure the courtyard can hold a hundred guests plus media? I mean, the senator loves his media." The campaign manager asks.

"Mhmm. I know how much he covets the spotlight, but I promise you, there's enough room for everyone." Regina informs him.

"And if Regina says 'Don't worry.' You take that to the bank." Marcus says as he steps into the room and sits in between his wife and his campaign manager.

Regina's husband and son step into the room as well a few steps behind the senator.

"Speak of the devil. Senator Tremaine." Regina says with a forced smile.

"Thank you."

"How was the golf game?" Regina asks her husband.

"Neal spanked us old-timers." Robert responds.

"Lucky round." Neal says with a smile and a shrug of the shoulders.

"Steve, are we done here? Cause I'd like to get back to the hotel for a shower." Marcus says.

"You should stay here." Roberts suggests.

"Oh, no. We'd, we'd hate to impose." Cecelia remarks.

"Nonsense. That's why we built this home. Isn't that right, Regina?" Robert says with a smile.

Regina smiles another forced smile.

"Well, all right, then. Perfect." The senator replies agreeing to stay at the Mills Manor.

"All right." Robert says.

"All right. I'll send for your bags." The campaign manager says to Marcus as he gets up from the couch. "And here. I took another pass at your candidacy speech." He hands the speech to Marcus.

"Thanks, Steve."

"Mrs. Mills, I'm so sorry I'm late." A voice calls out from the other side of the room.

Regina looks up to see Emma enter the room behind Neal in an emerald green sundress. Emma and Neal greet each other as she passes him.

"I know you were counting on some of my ideas" Emma says.

"Well, we've already just wrapped, Ms. Swan. We managed to get it under control without you." Regina comments.

The senator places his speech on the coffee table and turns to face Emma.

"Emma Swan." He says with a smile and open arms.

Regina watches as Emma steps into the senator's arms like they are old friends.

"It's nice to see you again, Senator Tremaine." Emma says with a smile.

"What a small world." The senator remarks.

What a small world indeed. How is it that Emma just happens to know the senator?

"Robert, Regina, why didn't you tell me you knew Emma?" Marcus asks directing the question at Regina.

"Well, we've only just met." Regina comments. "How do you two know each other?"

"Ms. Swan was a senior volunteer in my first campaign." Marcus responds.

\\*****/

Emma thanks the staff member who lets her into the Mills Manor. She hears the senator's voice from the conservatory. She smiles. She is right on time, just like she planned.

"Mrs. Mills, I'm so sorry I'm late." Emma calls out as she walks into the room.

Emma greets Neal as she passes him. The looks on Regina's face when she walked into the room can only be described as utter disdain.

"I know you were counting on some of my ideas." She says.

"Well, we've already just wrapped, Ms. Swan. We managed to get it under control without you." Regina comments.

Emma watches the senator like a hawk as he places something on the coffee table and turns to face her.

"Emma Swan." He says with a smile and open arms.

Emma steps into his open arms with a smile.

"It's nice to see you again, Senator Tremaine." She says with a smile.

"What a small world." The senator remarks. "Robert, Regina, why didn't you tell me you knew Emma?" Marcus asks directing the question at Regina.

"Well, we've only just met." Regina comments. "How do you two know each other?"

"Ms. Swan was a senior volunteer in my first campaign." Marcus responds.

Emma remembers watching the tapes of her father's trial where Marcus acted as the prosecutor.

" _And what was the name of the organization you believe David Nolan was laundering money for? The same Americon Initiative that claimed responsibility for blowing up Flight 197 last summer?_

"Did you come here to help me finish what I started?" He asks her breaking her out of her reverie.

"Well, I'm a big believer in finishing what you start."

Emma planned on finishing what she started during the last campaign and watch Marcus Tremaine burn for what he did to her father.

"Then you have to stay for dinner." Marcus insists.

"Well, its summer in the Hamptons. I can't believe the young lady doesn't already have plans." Regina chimes in.

"Actually she does." Neal responds chuckling. "With me."

"Well, there you have it. Excuse me." Regina says before walking out of the conservatory.

Emma loves watching the perfect façade Regina puts up crack. She cannot wait for her larger plan to unfold so she can start to take down the Mills family one by one.

 **A/N. Like Adam, Steve is not an OUAT character. I did not deem him important enough to make an OUAT character.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Emma sat at home later that afternoon re-watching news footage from her father's trial on the couch in her living room.

"Moments ago, a jury found terrorist conspirator, David Nolan, guilty on all counts. The case, spearheaded by federal prosecutor Marcus Tremaine, was a big win for both the United States and the young attorney. Rumors are circulating that a political careers is in the not-too-distant future for Tremaine." The newscaster's voice says in the recording.

Emma pauses the video and reaches for her cellphone sitting on the table just to the left of her. She dials August's number who picks up on the first ring.

"Well, well, well…" His smug voices rings out from her phone speaker. "If it isn't the ugly duckling that turned out to be a swan or well in this case a Nolan. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Is it possible to hack a computer tablet to run a PowerPoint presentation?" Emma cut right to the point, she wasn't in the mood for August and his shit today.

"Possible for you or possible for me?"

"Can you do it or not?"

"With both hands tied behind my back if you tell me why."

"You don't need to know why."

"Fine. Give me the tablet's IP address and I'll make it so you can run whatever program you want."

"I already sent it. Check your in-box." Emma replies then abruptly hangs up the phone.

Emma hits play on the video on her laptop and watches Tremaine's falsely emotional and falsely empowering speech to the American people after her father's unjust trail and sentencing.

"Today, I am just grateful that justice prevailed and that this terrible man has been held accountable for his crimes against the American people. As for the future, I have always planned to serve my country however and wherever it needs me most."

Emma shakes her head and slams the laptop shut. She has work to do.

\\*****/

Regina is sitting at her vanity in her walk-in closet finishing put on lipstick when she hears footsteps approaching behind her.

"Do you like the necklace?" She hears her husband ask behind her.

"What woman wouldn't?"

"I am just curious as to why you're angrier today than you were yesterday."

"Because yesterday, I didn't have a house full of unwanted guests." She tells him as she gets up from her vanity, waltzes passed him out of the closet. "Wear the teal." She tells him on the way out. The teal tie matches her outfit and his outfit better than the other tie he was holding.

Robert walks towards the vanity and grabs the necklace form its box.

"Fine, you don't like Marcus' politics."

"Oh, I couldn't care less about his politics." She calls out while fixing her hair in front of the mirror in their bedroom. "It's him I don't like."

Robert comes up behind her and places the necklace around her neck and fastens it.

"Well, he's done more for us then we will ever be able to do for him."

"How could I ever forget?"

Regina was more than aware of the lies Marcus told to protect the Mills family. She just didn't like him being in her house longer than he had to.

"This will all be over before you know it, and then we can go to Paris for a few days, you know?" Her husband suggests still standing behind her. "Whatever you like. I want to make this right."

Regina looks up to meet his eyes in the mirror. "Ten you never should have slept with my best friend."

\\*****/

Emma sits at her kitchen table watching surveillance footage of Marcus Tremaine on her laptop. She uploads the footage onto her server when she hears a knock on the glass door behind her. She calls out that she needs just a moment as the file finished transferring onto the server. She closes the laptop shut firmly and turns around to find Neal waiting for her at the door.

"Hi." She says while opening the front door.

"Hey. Oh, you look lovely."

Emma is wearing a white capped sleeve sundress with her blonde hair down and curly framing her face. She leans forward and kisses him on the cheek.

"Thank you. You're punctual."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No, not at all. I'll just grab my stuff." She turns and walks towards the front door to grab her shawl and her clutch.

"All set" She tells him as she turns back towards him to find him holding her small hand gun.

Damnit. She knew she should have kept that in a more secure place and not in a drawer which she left open near the patio door.

"Well, aren't you full of surprises?" He remarks with a smile.

"What can I say? I live alone." She says with a small smile. She really hopes he's buying this and doesn't think she's crazy or something.

"We should go shooting sometime."

"We definitely should." She says as she walks towards him, takes the gun from his hands, and place it back into the drawer he found it in. She shuts the drawer firmly making a mental note to move the gun when she gets back to the house later tonight. "Shall we?"

"We shall." He says following her out of the house.

\\*****/

At the Stowaway, Henry watched his older brother address everyone at the bar who came out to their father's wake.

"My dad always said that an empty bar is a sad bar. He'd be happy to see you all here today. He may not have wanted a funeral but he did not say anything about a wake, so, everybody, drink up." Killian says while raising a glass. "To Brennan Jones."

"To Brennan Jones" The rest of the bar says before taking a sip of their drink or in some people's cases throwing back the entire drink.

Henry gets up from the bar stool he is seated at and begins to walk away. This was too much for him right now because he knew his father's death was his fault.

He hears August call out behind him, "In honors of Killian and Henry's father, Brennan, the next round is one me."

He hears the bar cheer behind him. He notices that the bar is running low on clean glasses so he walks into the back to grab some clean ones. The least he can do right now is be helpful.

\\*****/

Killian forces himself to smile as the rest of the bar cheers when August announces the next round is on him. He turns and walks towards the bar with August follows behind him.

"You didn't have to do that. You didn't even know my dad."

"No but… obviously, he's a—he's a good guy—all these people drinking here to honor him."

Killian goes behind the bar and begins to fulfill people's drink orders as he listens to August talk.

"When my dad bites it, people will be drinking to celebrate."

"What can I get for you, man?"

"Uh, you know how to make a Malibu Bay Breeze?"

"I do. I would strongly advise against it. It's more of a whisky and beer crowd."

Killian pours August a glass of whisky. He hears August clear his throat.

"Well, when in Rome…"

Killian watches as Henry steps around him and starting to place clean glasses behind the bar.

"Ah, hey, sporty." He hears August call out. "Whose fist you walk into?"

"Oh, some rich jerkwad." His brother retorts. "There's a lot of them around this time of year."

"You, uh, planning on getting even?"

Killian shakes his head at the conversation. He doesn't want August encouraging his little brother to do anything stupid.

"Considering I'm half the guys' size with half the friends, no."

"Violence is only one way to take someone down."

Killian walks back over to where August and Henry are talking. He doesn't want August giving his brother any more ideas.


End file.
